I forgot I was Ralph's official champagne quaffer on ARCTIC, since he's not a fan of the sparkly and I am. How wonderful to find a bottle in our suite from none other than Ralph (he'd had this suite on the prior cruise). Ralph, we need to keep up this tradition: you sail, then I sail in your suite next, you leave a bottle of champers and I leisurely consume it on the next leg. Do we have a deal?
New stuff - for us, anyway - on this trip (note: haven't been on one of the Regent ships in a few years or so I think): Qantas runs the 767 between Melbourne and Sydney. Very comfortable service. Entertainment is via wireless Ipad. Great in theory, but the devil is in execution. We were 1 for 2 on Ipads in the seat pockets; of the 1 Ipad supplied, it would not load access to the entertainment. A quick visual suggested about 30% of those in front of us had working connections. How DO you get through the day without your Big Bang Theory fix?
Arrived at Sydney airport and learned of new train service to central Sydney. Off to find out how that hooked up with Wharf 5, the international cruise terminal. The information desk for the train service strongly recommended the shuttle vans, as they stop directly at the international cruise terminal. Good idea - $18 Aussie one way, $30 for a round trip. Forgot to ask, though, what's the protocol for getting the vans rolling. Driver wasn't leaving without a full load of 13 passengers, so we had about 20 minutes to kill for the 30 minute trip to the ship. We were to meet local friends for lunch at the terminal. Well ... there's American English and then there's Australian English. Turns out a Gate 5 and a Wharf 5 and a Pier 5 all mean different things. Our first clue was when they said they couldn't see the ship, but were staring at the Harbour Bridge. It was about a 1/4 mile walk to where they were waiting; lovely little area of restaurants and shops. Good to know!
We joined Chris, Linda, Mary Elaine, David, Ron and Linda in Observation Lounge to toast our departure. Lots of tennis talk and a late dinner at Sette Mari. The pasta tastes homemade. One of our favorite waiters, Abraham, has been promoted up the ranks. So nice to see a great crew member doing well!
Sea day yesterday. My vow to exercise was getting foiled by winds and intermittent rain, along with a packed gym. Not to worry .. slid into a long walk and cardio on the bike throughout the day. Cupcake tea was on offer. Looked gorgeous; texture and taste could use a boost. Trivia was a second place finish.
As many of you know, packing light is one of life's pleasures for us when we travel. This cruise is long enough for 2 formal optional nights. Hmmm ... what to do? I spied a sari in my closet (packs flat!) and decided surely there'd be someone aboard who could help me work out the logistics to keep it from falling off. The room stewardess assured me there were Indian ladies in housekeeping, and to ask at reception. turns out there are Indian gents on the butler staff - and one was 'volunteered' for the job of getting the folds and swirls straight on the sari. Gary's inner engineer wanted to know all the details of getting in and out of sari. The gent arrived with a video of his mother donning a sari. Hilarity ensued as all three of us tried to work out exactly which end was up, what side was outward facing, and when to switch from the ends to the middle and back again. By the end of the exercise, it was a passably functional sari. At that point, the gent smiled broadly and said "That's a first for each of us!!"
Headed down for the end of the officer introductions and then swiftly headed to Compass Rose to beat the crush. One of the Indian gentlemen saw me and broke into the widest smile. One for the home team! Enjoyed the caviar and foie gras, then dover sole and a salad.
Two nice changes on Compass Rose menu: they offer 'taste of signatures and Prime 7" as an entree. That's where I scored the dover sole and gary scored the herb crusted rack of lamb. The other is the balanced Canyon Ranch selections so if you want to keep up the healthy food index whilst onboard, it's readily available.
We hustled up to our suite to fire up the computer and track the Murray-Federer match. Fell asleep mid-way through the 2nd set.
Marc, we needed you onboard to properly celebrate Burns' night at the Voyager Lounge. No mention of haggis .. but really, how can you celebrate without marching that into the room accompanied by bagpipes?
This is a celebration-rich cruise. Today is Australia Day and the 10th of February is Chinese New Year. Surely we can find a few more holidays to keep the festive atmosphere alive and well.
It looks like we will be weather challenged for the next few days. Ship started to rock side to side around 4 am; the officer of the bridge came on at 6 am to advise us sharp turns are necessary, causing the ship to list to one side. It's 7:45 am, drizzly and we're a bit late on our arrival into Brisbane. Plans are for the bus tour of Brisbane highlights then off to Lone Pine sanctuary for quality koala time. After that, it's Hamilton Island then an overnight in Cairns. Monsoons still look active around the Cairns area.
Now they are broadcasting into all suites - we're delayed until 10 am. Time for rebookings if necessary for tours. Sounds like time to see if I can get a bike in the gym
Cheers, Anne
