March 17 and 18: All Aboard the Ocean Princess

March 17 and 18, 2012

Jillian was dressed for St Patrick’s Day when we awaken on Saturday morning at 7AM. This Cyclone can do more in 30 minutes than a normal person does in a whole day. She had already down her wash and hung it on the clothesline to dry. She had packed her bags to spend the weekend about a few hours away from Hobart. I was glad to see the weather was excellent since I always worry about flight delays on the day on cruise disembarks. We normally arrive in the city which where we disembark a day before but we did wanted to spend more time with Jillian in Tasmania. We rode across the Tasman Bridge to get to the Hobart Airport which is about 25 minutes from Jillian’s home. Our good-byes and thank yous were said at the curb since we wanted her to get off to her St Patrick’s Day event. One thing I have noticed in Australia is that there are not as many churches as there are in the USA.

Our check in at JetStar was a breeze and we met the baggage weight requirements. I had purchased extra baggage allowance to 25kgs which is about 55 pounds since I did not want to take any chances. The Hobart Airport is not very big but it has all the modern conveniences and was efficient. I forgot to mention that when we arrived from Sydney. The Hobart Customs had a beagle that smelled everyone that arrived to make sure they did not bring any fresh meat, veggies or seeds since it is a disease free state. Lots of sheep and veggies are grown in Tasmania.

We were supposed to board our flight to Sydney at 8:45 AM when just about that time, the departing time on the board changed to 1PM. Yipes! What happened! One of the flight attendants got sick while preparing the flight and had to be rushed to Hobart Hospital. The gate person actually announced WHY the plane was delayed and apologized to everyone. He also explained that Flight Operations had to fly in another flight attended from Melbourne so there would be a full flight crew. JetStar gave each of us an $8 AUS food voucher. It was hard to see the later flights to Sydney take off. I asked the gate person if we could just hop on another flight. Nay, he stated, without paying for a full fare but he also thought the others flights had already been “closed.” Naturally, I got a wee bit anxious since I did not want to miss our cruise ship and concerned that something else would cause an additional delay. I took a look at our Cruise Voucher and breathed a bit easier when I read that ship would not leave until 7PM thus giving us still a buffer. The flight was boarded at 12:45PM. Joe and I were amused that there were about 10 Hells Angels types who boarded the plane. They were huge, ugly and filled of tattoos all over their bodies. One jovial guy with a few teeth was very jovial with tattoos on half his face. They were all headed to Sydney for a big motorcycle BBQ. The flight attendant reseated some of the huge guys who overflowed their seats to some empty rows to give their seatmates some breathing room as well as themselves. I do not know how they got their seatbelts around their body. On their T-Shirts and jackets they had the name of REBELS of Melbourne. Their motto was FEAR NONE, RESPECT FEW. In reality they treated the regular people respectful and they assisted the women with their luggage. I could hardly understand what they were saying. The flight took off at 1:20PM and we arrived at the Sydney Domestic Airport at 3:15pm. We claimed our luggage quickly and hopped in a taxi to Darling Harbour on Hickson Road. We would have taken the train ($15 AUS each) to the Central Business District then hop on a taxi from there but we wanted the easiest way possible to the port. It cost $46 AUS to the port which we thought was reasonable and took only about 20 minutes.

Sydney is in the midst of building modern port facilities at Darling Harbour so the check-in was just a temporary big white tent. What a surprise! There was no queue. In fact there was no one there except the Princess people. We were checked in within 10 minutes. Fastest ever! I still had not bought my Sydney T-shirt so I told Joe to go ahead and board and I would walk to the end of the harbor to where the shops were. To be honest with you, I thought it was closer than it was. It was about a mile and a half and the shops that had souvenirs were on the other side of the harbor where the Hard Rock Café was situated. I was drenched in perspiration when I finally found t-shirts and a Sydney magnet. The good news is that I paid $25 AUS for two T-shirts and a magnet where at Circular Quay one t-shirt cost $30. On the way back I decided to hop into a taxi since I needed to be on board at 5PM. I got back to the tent at 4:50PM. They various check in points took a bunch of walking; I suppose the Princess was anticipating large crowds.

By the time I got to the cabin, our luggage at arrived and Joe was comfortably sitting on the loveseat. Outside our balcony cabin we had a wonderful view of the city and could see the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It seemed like hardly anyone was on board when we boarded though the Ocean Princess only carries about 720 passengers. From room service I ordered a bunch of cans of Diet Coke to put in the fridge. I was not able to find a place on the harbour to purchase some which I normally like to do. We met our cabin steward whose name is Monchai from Indonesia.

At 5:15PM the ship had the mandatory muster and this time I think most passengers paid attention after all the disasters on the Costa Lines. We headed back to our cabin to unpack which is a joy since we only have to do it once in 20 days. It is one of the many reasons Joe loves cruising. I headed up to the Internet Lounge to check it out and purchase my time. It costs normally $175 for 500 minutes. Since we are regular Princess customers, it cost $75. After I use my 500 minutes, I will do another 500 minutes under Joe’s name. I also stopped by The Sterling Steakhouse bar where Princess serves their regular customer some appetizers and reduced prices on alcoholic drinks. I ordered some Pinot Grigio and dollop some tasty guacamole onto a plate. I did not want to stand around alone so I asked a couple if I could join them, Graham and Diane. They smiled and said NO and we started off with a good laugh. What a pleasant conversation we had. They live in South Sydney on the coast near Biondi Beach. New friends are made just like that!

About 7:00PM, it was sail away time from Sydney. The sun had recently set and the lights of the city started to sparkle as well as Luna Park. Since the Ocean Princess is a smaller ship, we were able to sail under the Sydney Harbour Bridge which was a real treat to everyone. On the top deck I ran into Graham and Diane who pointed out the fort in the middle of the harbour. The usual photo opportunity was taken and my dear husband was in the cabin relaxing.

Back to the cabin I headed so I could hop into the “spacious” shower which felt so wonderful. Joe had his and we headed for the second seating of 8:15 for dinner. The line was so long so we ordered some drinks and headed to the Casino Bar to be able to sit and wait for the lines to disappear which was about 8:40 PM. Delightfully Graham and Diane were there and I got to introduce them to Joe. We sat across the other side of the room where there was some seating. We met a couple from Dussenhoff, Germany. The husband was talkative but the wife said very little and just smiled.

We were assigned to Table 40 where there were four other couples. No one knew each other. One couple was from South Dakota where the wife raised 25 Arabian Horses and also showed them. Her husband looked like a famous British distinguished gentleman (Alistair Star????) who had quite a sense of humor. I wish I could remember the name of the famous actor he reminded me of. The other couple was from Oregon, another from London and the other from Sydney.

We skipped the opening show because we were beat. I think we went to sleep about midnight with the boat rocking quite a bit from the high seas. Thankfully it just puts us into a deep sleep where did not wake up till about 10AM. After our showers we headed to the Panorama Buffet on the 9^th deck where we had a light lunch. Afterwards we headed to the pool for some rays until the sun hid behind the clouds. It was a do nothing day so we just walked around the boat. We enjoyed sitting out on the balcony with the sun starting to set in the west until it hid behind the clouds. Joe can only handle a little sun since his skin is so sensitive to its rays.

I worked on this blog for while until Joe said it was nearly 9PM and he was hungry. We skipped the first formal night since we were still tired from all our travels and touring. The buffet was closed but the ship made it a little bistro which was a surprise. There was table service and the food from the menu was made to order. Garem waited on us who we had met at the Pool Grill the first afternoon we had arrived. After dinner Joe wanted coffee at the coffee bar which he bought a coffee card for $29 that covers the whole cruise. I had a cappuccino and regretted it since it made me hot and uncomfortable. I will stick to wine and Cosmopolitans in the future while Joe enjoys his coffee.

Next stop was the Casino Bar where there was a piano player/singer who specialized in 50’s music and show tunes. He had a good sense of humor and the crowd seemed to like him. At 10:15 it was show time. I got a bit melancholy since one of the chorus members reminded of Mitzi, my recently deceased ex-daughter in law. How lovely she was and I loved her so very much. I still cannot believe that she is gone from this earth. Joe sneaked out of the show halfway through since he was bored. I knew that he went to the cabin for the night.

So that is it, for the first two nights on the Ocean Princess where nothing much happens which Joe loves! Tomorrow is also a sea day and we will enjoy a massage late in the afternoon. On Tuesday we will have a first port in Airlie Beach, Australia where we will do an Ocean Rafting Marine Safari at the Whitsunday Islands on the Reef. Yes, we will snorkel.

I wonder if my family reads my blog since I never get a comment or email from them. I hope to hear from them soon to know what they been up to. I love them all very much.

Good night!