Author: davidscruise

Half Way.

Unbelievably, this is day 60 of the 120 night World Voyage 2018. The cruise, so far, has been remarkable. Perhaps calling at Madeira and Tenerife were “much of a muchness”, even Walvis Bay which I would visit for the first time. The approach to Cape Town, however, was one of those “must-see” events with the unmistakable silhouette of Table Mountain dominating the skyline ahead, as we approached. First time around in 2000, I didn’t visit the highly recommended Stellenbosch winery. I did this time. Then followed an overland two night Garden Route and Safari excursion. This was a very good introduction to safaris, seeking authentic wildlife in bumpy 4WD canopied vehicles. We would continue to the “high-end” resort of Plettenberg for our second night. Views of the Indian Ocean lapping onto the golden beach were idyllic. All too soon, QM2 docked at Port Elizabeth came into sight and our cruise continued firstly to La Reunion, then Mauritius and eventually Fremantle where I would tread on Australian soil for the first time. Today, having already circumnavigated New Zealand, and returned to Sydney for a second time, we are steaming along Australia’s east coast towards Brisbane. As we venture north, the weather becomes warmer and I expect some of the hottest weather of the voyage within a few days. Tomorrow, I may well “do Brisbane by myself”, but haven’t decided yet.

This morning, benefiting from a good sleep, I resumed (after a number of days) deck walking. There was little wind, which only two days previously had caused much of the deck space to be closed off. A slightly heavy lunch will have negated any benefits of these renewed walking efforts. After lunch, I attended a lecture about piloting vessels through the Great Barrier Reef. Right now, after continuing this blog in the Atlantic Lounge (exclusively for the use of guests on the full World Voyage), and then two decks lower in the Commodore Club, I shall return to my cabin to pen some long overdue postcards.

I am given to believe 1,900 left QM2 at Sydney yesterday, and 1,950 embarked, quite a few just for Brisbane, some for Singapore and other “stations” to Southampton. This makes for different and interesting “ambiences” as this voyage progresses.

Many thanks for reading and for your comments.

David.

Sydney 9th March 2018

There seemed to be a kind of importance attached to QM2’s dramatic arrival at Sydney, early this morning. A bit like arriving at New York, always “something special”. I had booked a shore excursion highlighting places of interest in Sydney, the Opera House and Bondi Beach. Still suffering from a persistent cough, and thus being a little drained, I had difficulty motivating myself; I had unintentionally been awake since around 5am. Not being able to get back to sleep, I figured I should see this arrival of our ship after-all. At ten to six, I threw some clothes on and went out on deck only to find we had already docked and QM2 was preparing to allow passengers to disembark. I returned to my stateroom, had a shower and got myself ready for breakfast and this morning’s shore excursion. I had eyes like house bricks, but eventually, I was revived and enjoying another view of what Sydney had to offer. And the tour of the Opera House was excellent and far more interesting than I was expecting. The interior might be very 1970s but it was still jaw dropping in places. The Sydney Symphony Orchestra were rehearsing in the main hall. The final leg of this morning’s tour was a brief stop at Bondi Beach. Apparently, the temperature rose to 27 degrees Celsius. It certainly felt hot. I was in need of rest; I returned to my cabin, turned out the lights and relaxed for a couple of hours. Eventually, somewhat revived, I ventured off the ship and took a round trip on a ferry to Darling Harbour and back. I ascertained hotel rates at the nearby Holiday Inn for my stay next February. Soon, I was back on board, the sun going down and taking final pictures as the ship eventually slipped her moorings and manoeuvred in preparation for the next leg of the cruise to Brisbane.

Photos to follow; thanks for reading,

David.