Join us, Bill and Mary Ann, on our 128 day epic journey around the world in 2009

[jig]

Hi,

 

I have bee reading you log and enjoying it very much. I have been at one time or another most of the places you have or are going to.

I was in Mayotte a few years a go and while liked it most of the pax did not. Their tourist inferstructure is very poor. Our guide was a swiss woman who happened to land there for a year with her german husband who was working the other bus. So maybe no tour guide are avail. What I liked about is was that I got to see a babbob tree. Sounds not like a lot but for me it was nice.

Enjoy your cruise. I will be reading

 

Jeffrey

[INSIDERS CABIN]

Ever since reading "Le Petit Prince" i have wanted to see a baobab tree. Finally i know where they are!

[7toEleven]

Well, you did have a full day! I can't imgaine the anxiety of losing your ship's card. I'm so glad you found it! While I was reading your post, when I came to that part I just gasped! Being so far from home what a sinking feeling that must have been. Very glad it turned out so well.

And....................18 oz's of steak! Oh my goodness. You have must have been so full and sleepy with the steak, wine, dessert. What a day!

Again, so looking forward to your next post, sweet dreams!

[RuthC]

What a delightful way to spend a Saturday evening---catching up on this thread (I've been away on my own little cruise).

It's taken quite a while to read this, but oh, so worth the time.

Thanks for the posts.

[WCB]

Report # 36 February 7, 2009 Saturday Ils Des Pins, New Caledonia

 

The Isle of Pines, or Ile Des Pins, was our destination for today. This 100 square mile island is located 50 miles southeast of Noumea, and is the closest island to paradise we have seen. Well, maybe Bora Bora may be a close tie.

 

The ship had to anchor offshore, requiring us to tender to the wharf. And it looks like we are going to have company.....the luxury ship, the Europa, just dropped anchor nearby.

 

The nice thing about today was there were no HAL shore excursions. We were off to explore on our own. Again, it was raining on and off all morning, so we decided to wait until later to tender over. Maybe the rain would clear up.

 

So after breakfast, we collected our tender tickets in the Wajang Theater. With no waiting, we headed down to the boat and proceeded to shore. What we saw when we landed was a landscape of palm trees and towering Araucaria pines, surrounded with stretches of white, powdery, sandy beaches. It is hard to believe that France once had as many as 4000 political prisoners incarcerated on this island in the late 1800's.

 

We wandered over to Kanumera Bay, following directions given to us by Dorothy and George. There we found a picturesque cove and beach lined with eroded limestone formations in the water. Several people were snorkeling under the overhanging rocks, where the tropical fish like to feed on the coral.

 

We walked the long stretch of beach, avoiding the many sunbathers who had flocked here from both ships. At the end of this beach, we came upon a very private hotel with outlying bungalows, surrounding a beautiful pool. We tried to keep a low profile as we walked the landscaped grounds, keeping out of sight of the few guests that were lounging on their verandahs. We found the lobby of this complex, but never saw the name of the resort.

 

Walking back, we got a kick out of watching the families with their little kids, who were frolicking in the gentle surf, and building sandcastles. Many of these sunbathers had come to the island by the ferry that ran from Noumea.

 

We made our way back to Kuto Bay, where we found the local beach resort called Kou Bugny. There was a small outdoor restaurant, bar, and souvenier store all-in-one. There were also showers and bathrooms for all to use. We happened to run into Rose, Grace,and Ray enjoying the ice cold local beer. They were also trying to use up their collection of French coins.

 

A small pack of friendly dogs followed us for a stretch of the beach. Apparently, these rather thin dogs associate beach bags with picnic food. Since we had none, they finally gave up.

 

We picked up a few souveniers at the little shop. Their selection was limited, but they did sell nice t-shirts and cool shell jewelry.

 

We never did go swimming, but enjoyed walking in the surf. Not wanting to go back to the ship yet, we strolled the first cove again, talking with friends along the way. When we reached the private hotel grounds, they had erected a fence, and added a sign saying no trespassing. We don't blame the guests for wanting their privacy, since it probably costs a fortune to stay there.

 

On our way back to the pier, we checked out a few boutique shops hidden in the dense forest of flowering plumerias. We found a neat shotglass, something we never thought we would find here. The rest of the items were hand made artistic shirt and pareo creations. And they were all quite expensive. Few people were buying. We asked one vendor about the weather. She said we got really lucky today, since it had been raining non-stop for two days.

 

The ship was scheduled to leave by 5 pm, so we headed back reluctantly. Sailaway festivities were held around 4:30 pm, and this time it actually happened. Joining in the fun, were several small seagulls, who had taken their positions on the wooden railings. What a mess they had left, if you know what we mean!!

 

Dinner was good again. While we were eating, Tom, the dining room manager, and Bernie, the exectutive chef visited us to see how we liked our food. Bill had the coq au vin, and reported that the chicken was excellent. I had the medley of three...chicken, filet mignon, and half of a sausage. They were all delicious. We thanked them for setting up the dessert display. They agreed that it has been gratefully received by all.

 

We have two sea days ahead of us before we reach Sydney. Sadly, we shall lose some nice friends who will be heading home.

 

As they say in French, au revoir!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 37 February 8, 2009 Sunday Day at Sea

 

Our job for this morning was attending a required visit to appear before the Australian immigrations officials between 9 am and 11 am. During dinner last night, we spotted a group of young people eating near us. Frankly, they stood out like sore thumbs because there are few passengers, if any, under 40 on this trip.

 

We waited until after breakfast, around 10:45, to go, but the line was still down to the Explorers Lounge. Obviously, many other passengers had the same idea as us. Once we got to the doors of the upper dining room, we were handed our passports, which included the arrival and departure slips we had filled out. After thoroughly checking us out, the officials stamped our passports, and we were free to go. The last step was to hand our passports back to the ship's keepers. It did go quickly and was well organized.

 

The weather has improved immensely since last night. Looks like we may have sun today. The heavy humidity has dropped to a comfortable zone. However, the ship has been rocking and rolling with swells from force 7 winds. At least we know we are on a ship. Most passengers enjoy the motion, as long as they don't get seasick.

 

We spent the afternoon lounging around the pool, while catching up on our reading. There were a lot of new faces there, probably disembarking cruisers in Sydney, we suspect.

 

For some strange reason, we have been having been having trouble logging out on our laptop computer. It says we are online, when we definitely are not. The internet manager, Susanne, has been very helpful, reassuring us that we are not losing minutes or doing anything wrong. Her explanation is that we have "computer gremlins"!! As long as she is able to credit back our lost minutes, we are happy.

 

Other happenings of the day were tango lessons, shore excursion previews of Melbourne through Hong Kong, and the ever present, over- advertised champagne art auction. We wonder how much of this art that they actually sell?

 

We met with our friend Millie for cocktails in the Crow' Nest around 7 pm. We had lots of catching up to do, because she enjoys hearing of our exploits while in ports. Since she rarely gets off of the ship, she marvels at the changes in these ports over the years. She and her husband toured the world years ago.....mostly on freighters with eight or so other passengers. What a difference to modern cruising today.

 

Tonight was formal, but our table did not get an officer. Barbie immediately registered a complaint about this with our head waiter Pulung. Want to bet we get an officer (with wine) on our next formal night? We heard that most of the formal nights are used for the Captain's dinner in the Pinnacle Grill. About 50 or 60 full world cruisers get invited each time. Fifteen officers are also invited to attend to sit with groups of 6 or 8. Since the Kings Room is being used for storage, and only seats 20 guests, the Pinnacle Grill is a better choice for this special dinner, at least for Captain Olav.

 

There were no formal night presents for us tonight. They had been delivered early on February 3rd, so we could use them in the rainy ports. They are HAL folding umbrellas, the color of dirty purple, and not the best they could buy. Barbie called them the "disposable" kind!!

 

One more day at sea to Sydney!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

 

Report #38 February 9, 2009 Monday Day at Sea

 

The morning greeted us with sunny skies, a few clouds, and a wonderful breeze. Looks like another good day awaits us.

 

The sports of call activities are in full swing, now that most of the rain is gone. They include golf chipping, quoits, basketball, and the final redemption of dam dollars.

 

The final snowball bingo with a chance to win $10,000 should fill the Queens Lounge this afternoon.

 

All of our tablemates have been playing trivia, and report that the questions are "from another planet"!!

 

There is a talk about Melbourne from Barbara, Joe Kess will give his final lecture on whatever happened to Captain Bligh, and Michael Baume will give a presentation on the Sydney Opera House.

 

At the Captain's 1 pm talk today, he informed us that we will be arriving to Sydney tonight at 11 pm due to an emergency evacuation of a seriously ill passenger. That explains why the ship sped up this morning. You can sure feel the vibration on the aft of the ship. We were scheduled to have a scenic sail-in early tomorrow morning. It's too bad for those who have not seen it before, but we're sure they will understand. We wonder why this person couldn't be air-lifted by helicopter to the Gold Coast where we are sailing? We have seen that done many times in the past. Will let you know how this turns out tomorrow.

 

Until then, bye.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[Aussie Gal]

Welcome Mary Ann and Bill to our country. I hope that the weather is kind to you and that you enjoy your time in Sydney. If you will be in Melbourne this week, you will be in for mild weather unlike last Saturday when it hit the records - hottest day in a Capital City here since the records began - 46.4C with 4% humidity. It was like being in a furnace!

 

Jennie

[GmaPajama]

I have to tell you how very much I look forward to reading your thread each morning. It's the first thing I do here. Everything sounds just wonderful - and I really appreciate the time and effort you put into taking us along.

[marle7]

I'd like to add my thanks. I check for updates every day. I can only dream about taking a world cruise right now, so I'm living vicariously through yours!

[My1stc]

I've enjoyed this journey and missed not having a post to read today but we all must remember that Bill and Mary Ann are on holiday and must have better things to do I know I would.They will love it in Sydney I could spend days there.

[ColumbiaSC]

Simply to report that I have now talked with the dear elderly gentleman from Dearborn, Michigan, who is known as the "Needle Point Man" to those on the Farewell World Cruise of the marvelous QE2, and others on previous Holland-America voyages. He was delighted to hear from me. His health has deteriorated, and he may soon be in an Assisted Living Facility. He was quite sorry to have had to cancel his 2009 World Cruise on the Rotterdam.

 

 

I appreciate several of you who responded to my queries and were interested in my concerns.

 

Don.

[WCB]

Report # 39 February 10, 2009 Tuesday Sydney, Australia

 

We watched the sail-in at 11:30 pm, which was not quite the same as the planned early morning arrival. By midnight, we were docked in Circular Quay, with portside facing the dimly lit Opera House. What a view to have for two days!

 

It wasn't a pretty day, weatherwise, when we woke up this morning. The skies were a dreary gray with drizzling rain that kept everything soggy. We figured this was our seventh visit to this amazing city and metropolis area of over 4.2 million friendly people. Having taken most of the tours in the past, we decided just to take a long walk.

 

The Australian officials are extremely strict with pasengers taking food off of the ship such as sandwiches, fruit, vegetable, or dairy products. Any breaches of the quarantine laws can be fined on the spot. We have had our bags searched by dogs before, so we knew better than to chance it.

 

We left the ship by 10 am armed with our umbrellas. It was still warm out, just damp. We made our way to the Four Seasons Hotel near the pier, where we made several calls to home with a local phonecard. The time difference was 19 hours, so we knew we could catch family at home.

 

Being careful to cross the streets (the traffic runs opposite ours in the US), we headed towards Darling Harbour, a vigorous hike up and over the hilly streets. This area is chock-full of things to do like the Sydney Aquarium, Wildlife World, two museums, and the Darlingharbour Shopping Mall. This multi-level mall houses 44 restaurants, 18 cafes, 32 bars, as well as an Imax Theater. Every store imaginable is there too, especially the jewelry stores that sell the best opals, pearls, and diamonds in Australia.

 

Beyond Cockle Bay, is the Haymarket area with Paddy's Market. That was our destination today. The bottom level has the largest assortment of affordable souveniers, produce, leather goods, and jewelry in town. However, we were disappointed to find it was closed. The only days open were Thursday through Sunday. Darn!! Anyway, the upper two levels were open, and we located a grocery store where we purchased a much needed fly swatter. We know this sounds strange, but when we are in port (especially warm and humid ones), we tend to get a lot of flies in our room from going in and out of the balcony door. Who would guess that? So our three hour long trip was not in vain!

 

We walked back through the shopping mall at Darling Harbour before walking back to the Rotterdam. We had planned on going out to lunch, but in anticipation of the special suite event and dinner this evening, we kept our Lido lunch very light.

 

Now, onto this event. Once during each world cruise, a complimentary event is held for guests on decks six and seven. In the past, we have been taken to a Chinese Dinner at the Aberdeen Yacht Club in Hong Kong. Last year, the guests were treated to a luncheon with town officials in Wellington, New Zealand. This time, the ship featured a "Taronga Zoo Private Tour and Dinner". It sounded great, but turned out just the opposite, we're afraid. We're not usually ones to look a gift horse in the mouth, but we felt that this tour could have been handled quite differently.

 

It started out OK, with our large group of 200, meeting in the Queens Lounge at 4 pm. The suggested dress was elegant casual, but many were over-dressed with dress shoes, including heels for the gals. Now what part of a "zoo" tour did they not get?? And besides that, it was still raining. We boarded four buses and drove the short distance across the Sydney Harbour Bridge towards the zoo across the harbor. Our bus was first, but the driver informed us that they were not ready to receive us yet. He decided to take us for a scenic ride, which brought us back to the zoo last in line! We were led to the Skyrail Safari Cable car, where four people were put in the cars or two if you were in a wheelchair. We were seated with a cute elderly lady, who was frightened going straight up to the top. Several times, the cable ride stopped, and the car swayed in the wind. Photo taking was not good, since it was raining pretty hard by now. Once at the top, we disembarked the cars, and were directed to wait under an overhang for a guide to take us on a private viewing of the animals. However, being the last of the groups, there were no guides. It sure would have helped if there had been some personel from the ship to escort our large group. We had no choice but to wait in the pouring rain for 20 minutes, at which point, a van came along and gave the people in wheelchairs a ride down to the dining room. The rest of us walked down, missing all of the native animal enclosures. To try to navigate the area alone with no map was not a plan. We would not want to risk getting lost.

 

It was almost dark by the time we made it to the Taronga Centre and Harbourview Terrace. We had to line up and wait for an elevator to take 6 or so people at a time to the upper level. The room opened up into a large banquet area, set with several round tables for eight. Once seated, we were served canopies of oysters, chicken triangles, and parma ham on toast. Waitresses with trays of champagne, wine, and glasses of beer were circulating among the guests. Little did we know, that this would be the start of a long drinking fest!

 

We had a peculiar menu sitting at each place setting. It read entrees, mains, and desserts alternately served. But what did this mean? We soon found out when they served the first course of salads. One salad was with goat feta cheese, pickled pear, baby beetroot, avocado, and spiced nuts. The other was BBQ char sui chicken on Chinese greens. Served alternately meant that one of us got the goat cheese salad, while the other got the chicken salad, whether you liked it or not. The servers just told us to exchange with someone at our table if we wanted to switch. What??

 

About an hour later, yes, an hour, we were served the main courses....wagyu beef rump or baked salmon. Do we have any Australian readers on Cruise Critic, who knows what the term "wagyu" means??? The waiters had no clue. We had to fight the waiters to get our choice, which was the beef, since the fish smelled pretty strong. Unfortunately, neither course was very tasty. No one at our table ate the fish...just the mashed potatoes and the dinner rolls. We have to say, the wines continued to flow freely throughout the evening, so much so, that most were feeling no pain! This proved to be dangerous later on.

 

Anyway, one hour, yes another hour, after the main course was served, we had alternate desserts of mango and berry almond crumble, and chocolate praline mousse, with dark mocha jelly and white chocolate berry charlotte. We all agreed that the desserts were the best part of the entire evening. Of course, the wine mellowed most of us too.

 

Figuring that the coffee would be served within another hour, we started to leave via the little elevator. With the line too long, many of us went out the back door, and down the wet and slippery stairs that led to the driveway and waiting buses. One lady on bus # 4 was not so lucky. She fell while going down the stairs, cracking her head on the pavement at the bottom. Friends of ours reported seeing her bleeding profusely, requiring an ambulance to take her to the hospital. Somehow, we could see the writing on the wall concerning an accident like this.

 

We arrived back to the ship by 10 pm, where we heard many people went to the Lido for sandwiches! We are sure that the staff will be hearing about this unorganized tour by tomorrow. It could have been so much nicer. It would have helped if we had more staff along with us too. As it was, only one cute office girl was along with us. We felt sorry for her, because she had to handle the grumpier people who insisted on taking a taxi back to the ship early. We heard that many staff members went to the opera instead.

 

The follow up on the injured lady turned out badly. She had been admitted to the hospital with a concussion, and her poor husband had to be admitted for hyper-ventilation. Unfortunately, they had to stay back in Sydney, leaving the world cruise behind. Hope they will be OK.

 

So much for day one!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[Aussie Gal]

Wagyu Beef is the most expensive beef one can buy. It is what the Japanese prefer as it contains intense marbling. Here is how it is described: The meat from wagyu cattle is known worldwide for its marbling characteristics, increased eating quality through a naturally enhanced flavor, tenderness and juiciness, and thus a high market value

 

I am sorry that you had to have the alternate courses. They serve that often at weddings and it is an easy way for the kitchen to cope with a large number. If you want everyone to have the same or choose from a menu, then you are charged more money per head.

 

I hate going to a function where the alternate course is served as I usually end up with something I am not happy with. The men usually get the steak and the women the chicken!!!

 

I know that when you are in Melbourne the weather will be perfect as there is no sign of rain for days. Enjoy!

 

Jennie

[brucory]

It has been so wonderful following your posts...

 

We will be watching the Rotterdam sailaway tommorrow evening from Port Melbourne...

 

Please be safe while you are here... It is Friday the 13th after all...

 

Will be following avidly to hear how you spend your time in our neck of the woods...

 

Brucory...

 

:D:D:D

[Cruising-along]

I'm loving your posts, thank you so much! Just last night there was a program on about Sidney, and I turned to DH and said "that's where Mary Ann and Bill are now" :D

 

It's so much fun to follow you along, thanks again!

[jig]

Wagyu is like kobe beef except it is not from Kobe. It's like Champagne/Sparkling Wine or Feta Cheese/Goat cheese. Etc.

As tipping is not big in Australia the service is slow. Sometimes very slow. I waited over an hour one time at Doyles seafood rest just waiting for my order to be taken. Nothing you can do about it as Australians take not tipping very seriouslly.

Jeffrey

[MightyQuinn]

I waited over an hour one time at Doyles seafood rest just waiting for my order to be taken.

Yes but where better to wait an hour than at Doyles on Watson's Bay? :D:D

[jig]

service was better at watson bay. this was at the pier.

[cands]

Wagyu is like kobe beef except it is not from Kobe. It's like Champagne/Sparkling Wine or Feta Cheese/Goat cheese. Etc.

As tipping is not big in Australia the service is slow. Sometimes very slow. I waited over an hour one time at Doyles seafood rest just waiting for my order to be taken. Nothing you can do about it as Australians take not tipping very seriouslly.

Jeffrey

 

Slow service can happen anywhere. Please don't make assumptions based on ignorance of our culture or way of life because of an experience in one restaurant.

 

Tipping does not correlate to good service in our country. People who work in the hospitality industry are motivated by good wages, good training and supervision and proper staffing levels.

 

.

[Aussie Gal]

I agree with Cands. It has nothing to do with tipping! The waiters etc. would not know if you were going to tip or not at the end of the night and they usually give fantastic service wherever you go.

 

Serving 200 people at once in a function room at the Zoo is a huge undertaking to get all those meals out served at the one time.

 

When we go out to dinner with friends here in Melbourne, it is a night out. We do not want to be in and out in an hour. We like to spend time over a meal and perhaps this is a cultural thing that differs in each country.

 

Jennie

[cccole]

I agree with Cands. It has nothing to do with tipping! The waiters etc. would not know if you were going to tip or not at the end of the night and they usually give fantastic service wherever you go.

 

Serving 200 people at once in a function room at the Zoo is a huge undertaking to get all those meals out served at the one time.

 

When we go out to dinner with friends here in Melbourne, it is a night out. We do not want to be in and out in an hour. We like to spend time over a meal and perhaps this is a cultural thing that differs in each country.

 

Jennie

 

I'm with you regarding a night out with friends. Our dinners are usually 2-3 hours, and if we can linger longer we will. If for some reason we need to be in and out in an hour we would let the staff know. That is one reason we enjoy the late fixed dining on cruises so we do not have hurry for the second group to arrive. Cherie

[brucory]

Slow service can happen anywhere. Please don't make assumptions based on ignorance of our culture or way of life because of an experience in one restaurant.

 

Tipping does not correlate to good service in our country. People who work in the hospitality industry are motivated by good wages, good training and supervision and proper staffing levels.

 

.

 

Usually service in restaurants in Australia is very good. This tipping/service swipe did seem a little generalised. I am not sure that the service of staff in a zoo function room would have anything to do with tipping. It sounds like the whole event was very poorly organised. Fair go JIG!!!

 

:D:D:D

[WCB]

Report # 40 February 11, 2009 Wednesday Sydney, Australia

 

Well, today started out much better. The rain had stopped, and the sun may just peek out between the clouds later on.

 

After breakfast, we headed out to walk up Pitt Street, right across from the pier. It took us past high rise buildings where the locals were hustling off to work. We spotted the famous Sydney Tower, the nation's tallest one. We had eaten dinner at the top in the revolving restaurant with our travel group in 2007. In between the old historical buildings were small Chinese shops, and small shopping malls. Many of these old structures have been gutted in the center and rebuilt on the inside, creating mini malls. Years ago, we had stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel, which was built like that.

 

Cutting through Hyde Park, we found our way to the Hard Rock Cafe in hopes of buying a t-shirt. We were surprised to find that it had closed down. Hmmm, another long walk with no results.

 

We were very close to the Queen Victoria Building, which deserved a visit. Here was another example of how the facade was preserved, and the interior converted into several floors of high-end shops like Ferrigamo, Gucci, and Chanel. The interior has the most beautiful stained-glass windows and domes, and old clock towers that still chime on the hour.

 

From here, we went to the Rocks district, originally the domain of drunken sailors, pickpockets, and prison barracks. Now, you can find 40 restaurants, 12 pubs, 10 bars, and a variety of specialty shops.

 

Lunch was foremost on our minds, so we stopped at the Caminetto Italian Restaurant. We ordered Victoria Bitters beer and the best tomato and mozzarella cheese pizza we have tasted yet. It was great to rest up for a while while we watched the people strolling by.

 

We stopped briefly on the ship, and found that new segment people were arriving. Around 125 passengers went home today, and 150 boarded. This is a normal occurrence for a world cruise, or any cruise that exceeds 30 days. In fact, this trip has 12 designated segments, maybe more. Of course, we have done segments before too, like last year. We joined the world cruise in Istanbul and sailed back to Los Angeles. We got the best of the Mediterranean ports, as well as sailing through the Panama Canal and the fun Mexican ports.

 

Knowing that a mandatory lifeboat drill was scheduled for 4:15 pm, we left the ship for a stroll along Circular Quay. Sneaky, huh? We were not alone, since we ran into many of our friends doing the same thing. There is always much activity along the waterfront of the quay. An Aboriginal team were performing with digeridoos, and fully painted street artists were posing like statues.

 

Continuing on, we walked around the famous Opera House to the gate of the Royal Botanical Gardens. From there, we could see the Royal Caribbean ship tendering people to shore. We later found out that these passengers were being offloaded to go home, luggage and all. Can you imagine what a hassle that would be? We were told that they had forgotten to reserve dock space. Not so sure that was really true.

 

Strolling through the the herb and rose gardens, and the soon to flower hydrangeas and camillas, we left the park at McQuarie Street. That street led us back to Circular Quay and the last of the souvenier stores. That's the nice thing about being here before....we already have the boomerangs, digeridoos, and stuffed koalas and kangaroos at home! No need to buy anything, not even t-shirts!!

 

The sailaway party was held in the Crow's Nest, but we had a much better view right from our own verandah. We just turned on the commentary from Barbara on our radio in the room. We had been noticing that all of the Australian flags were flying at half mast. Barbara mentioned that it is in commemoration of the hundreds of people that perished in the brush fires in the state of Victoria. We will be heading for Melbourne next, and expect to see the smoke from these wildfires. In fact, our tour to the wineries and zoo was just cancelled in Melbourne. Maybe we will just stay in the city and go for a long walk.

 

The seas got really rough once we sailed out of the beautiful harbor of Sydney. We have left the Pacific Ocean, and are sailing in the Tasman Sea, noted for very turbulent waters.

 

It was nice to join our tablemates after missing last night's dinner, which included prime rib and baked potatoes. We heard that the trip to the Blue Mountains was a waste, because they were cloaked in fog. And we missed seeing Greg, our friend from the 2007 world cruise. He lives in Sydney, and came onboard last year to visit his friends. We understand that he and his friend will be going on th 2010 world cruise, in a verandah suite,no less. Hope to see them then.

 

The entertainment tonight is a pianist, Bernie Walz. He sounds much better than most of the acts they have had recently, according to the reports from friends. They have given some of the performances a "thumbs down"!!

 

Looking forward to a restful day at sea!!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Aussie Gal]

Bill and Mary,

 

We hope you enjoyed your day here in Melbourne today. The weather was perfect even though the smoke haze wasn't so good.

 

Just to put you right. Our fires are not brush fires but are called bushfires which burn everything in their path. We have now lost over 3000 homes and the count of people missing presumed dead is rising every day. The authorities expect to reach well over 1000 people.

 

I am sorry that you trip to the Yarra Valley was cancelled but better to be alive than dead as the fires are raging in that area. The animals from the Healesville Sanctuary were moved early last Saturday as a precaution and it one that has paid off as the fires are all around that area. At last count there are still 25 fires burning a lot less than the 400 which were alight last Saturday.

 

Jennie

[WCB]

Thanks Jennie, for clearing up our confusion on the wagyu beef. What a shame that it was not prepared properly!

 

The problem with the dinner service was the fact that there were only about 6 servers to take care of 200 people!! Now we understand about the alternate serving process too. We can see that it would be a big cost saving way to do things.

 

We did survive Friday the 13th in the wonderful city of Melbourne. But who knows, the day isn't over yet.........

 

We have never encountered so many friendly people in such a large city as we did in Melbourne. You have a lot to be proud of!!

 

More on Melbourne coming....

 

Mary Ann & Bill