Day 20 of 111 days

Captain’s report

At noon each day, the officer of the bridge, gives us a report on the loud speaker. Today we are transiting the “Ditch” or the Tasmanian Sea. It is partly cloudy, 69 with brisk wind and we are travelling at 17 knots, probably about average for this ship.

Preparations for Sydney

We got our immigration instructions today which include to entry cards we must complete. On Sunday we must appear in person before the Australian authorities with these cards and our passports. They will then give us a transit card which we will carry while in Australia.

Trivia friends

Our trivia friends for the morning from Georgia are leaving us in Sydney and we will be getting new members in Sydney. They have been a congenial group and we have enjoyed visiting with them. We not all that smart as a group but we have enjoyed our time together and there are little examples of ego among us.

Destination talk

I have met with this lady and liked her very much. Her information was very helpful and her talk today made me realize how much there is to see and do in Sydney. We will be there on a Sunday so things won’t be as active. On the other hand, they have craft markets and public attractions galore. I have a general sense of where the ship docks and it is walking distance to many sites we enjoy, though they may be long walks.

Ship tours

Tomorrow we have a bridge tour and a galley tour. You have to request each as I guess the demand is great. The bridge tour is limited in how many can go. We always enjoy these events.

Wine tastings

They have a special wine tasting that is different than the usual one and in this instance they have 3 wines and they will tell you what they are in advance in case you don’t think you’ll like them. Ed and the lady at our dining table will probably do this as I don’t really like most wines and her husband is a tee totaller.

Video of this leg

Was shown this morning. The staff are very clever and have added videos of sites we had to skip because of the weather in LA. They include actually videos of events we were a part of, e.g. champagne waterfall where Ed is included, and tours we did not go on such as scuba diving. They also include digital photos taken by the staff which are, of course, of great quality and can be used for email, postcards you make etc.

Daily papers.

I usually go down and get a print out of the news papers from Britain, Canada, and the US for Ed. Today they added the paper from Australia. I do get the headlines at least.

Internet minutes

We have been squirreling away our internet minutes so we wouldn’t run out. We thought we could roll them over to the next segment. It turns out we can’t as they are free to us for our elite status (don’t be impressed by that title). So I am trying again to download my updates and my devices are reminding me that I have not backed up to iCloud for 3 weeks. I really must try that but we do need to find an internet café and simply spend the time getting everything up dated because this internet is slow and won’t take large files.

Formal night

So we will get gussied up. Actually we often clean up pretty good. They shows on formal nights are their specular shows. The dancers will be going off in Sydney and a new crew will come on board as they know different routines and shows. Since it is a small ship, they also must do duty as the games people including trivia which I think must be the most difficult for them as many people are very competitive and contentious.

Dogs on Board

There was a discussion at lunch about dogs on board ships. We were on one cruise where the captain had his dog on board but we never saw it. Otherwise we have never been on a ship where someone had a pet.

Apparently these people were recently on a cruise where a woman had her “therapy” dog with her. She dressed it in clothing every day and pushed it around the ship in a baby carriage. Supposedly it was to detect epileptic seizures but they would leave the dog with a sitter and go off the ship without the dog and often not on the same destination. The husband was a retired physician so there was no problem getting the certificate (which we are told you can get online for $30) for the dog. They also fed the dog from the table and the matre de was going nuts because many people were requesting tables where they did not have to sit with the couple with the dog.

But the other story was more heartwarming. A group of blind people came on board with their guide dogs. The dogs laid at the feet of their owners and never caused a problem. The ship set a side an area where the dogs could go off leash occasionally and get their exercise. Two quite different stories.

Books

I just finished listening to “The Japanese lover” by Isabel Allende. She is such a good writer and her translators are excellent. And unlike many authors, she writes fiction and nonfiction and about a variety of people and settings.

I am now listening to “More of the straight dope” by a scientist but with funny perspectives and answers to questions which were sent in to his column. Fun and with a few chuckles and odd observations.

Motor City

That was the name of the huge production show put on by our current crop of dancers. The girls are VERY good but the athleticism and energy of the fellows is amazing. I’m entranced by the costumes as they are all original and they have so many quick costume changes during the show.