Cruisy memories

Our 11-day cruise to New Caledonia and Vanuatu is officially over. We sailed into Sydney Habour shortly after 5:30am this morning and docked at the Overseas Passenger Terminal half an hour later. When we pulled back the blinds in our cabin we were greeted by blue skies and sunshine flooding Campbell Cove. 

We finished off our cruise with a complimentary breakfast courtesy of our Premium Key pass before finally disembarking. I have to say, the menu on offer was probably the best we'd seen for breakfast during our entire cruise.

It's been an awesome vacation.  We've both returned rested and relaxed. I knew I'd finally unwound after spending the afternoon napping yesterday.  Those who know me well will testify that I rarely nap during the day.

We also met some fabulous people on board including a young couple, Basil (Baz) and Gabrielle (Gaby). We dined together one night and met for lengthy cocktail sessions on three other nights. This ambitious couple met five years ago but most of their relationship thus far has been a long-distance affair. Gaby is British and thus was shut out of Australia for several years during the COVID-19 pandemic. She finally relocated to Sydney in July last year. 

Baz and Gaby were fascinated by our decision to walk away from a corporate career track to run our own business. Apparently, they have ambitions to set up their own business. As a result, they quizzed us endlessly for plenty of hints and tips from our own experience. It was very reaffirming to think that our life's journey over the last decade is inspiring others.

The remainder of this post is a montage of images that caught my eye during our final days onboard. This includes a stunning sunset as we sailed away from Lifou, the incredibly blue hue of the Tasman Sea, and Belinda Marks, the evening headline act on Day 8. Belinda was simply outstanding. It's not often you hear someone sing pitch-perfect classics from the likes of Witney Houston, Tina Turner, Dusty Springfield, and Dolly Parton.

Belinda was easily the best act we saw onboard. The previous night we'd watched a Big Band show tune tribute. Sadly, while the stage set looked the part, the artists involved were very average and were often out of tune. However, the Australian comedian, Michael Shafar, we saw on Day 1 and again on Day 4 was another highlight. Likewise, the Tango Dance Spectacular on Day 4, headlined by a talented South American couple, and the Jazz ensemble on Day 5 were also memorable.

We met Michael at lunch one afternoon. He gave us some great tips on where to enjoy live comedy in London. As a result, we've booked an evening at Top Secret, a hot new comedy venue, while we're in town later this month. Stay tuned for our critic's review.

The image above shows the roughest seas we encountered during the entire cruise. On Day 10 we experienced a two-metre swell and moderate winds. This created a subtle roll on board the boat and generated small white caps out to the horizon.  However, as you can, the sea remained remarkably flat. In essence, we enjoyed smooth sailing for 11 days and thus had no use for the sea sickness tablets we'd brought with us. 

Finally, a shout-out for one of the artistic highlights of our cruise. A menagerie of towel animals appeared in our cabin during turn-down each night. By the end of the cruise, we'd been progressively greeted by a peacock, an anteater, a rabbit, a swinging monkey, and an elephant.

NOTE: 10 January

Poor Garry has tested positive for COVID overnight. I've tested negative and feel fine.  However, Garry is feeling poorly and has taken to his bed. He did get a booster shot about 14 days before we sailed. Unfortunately, it looks like he left it too late to secure full immunity before we sailed. I caught COVID in late November which appears to have boosted my defences.

NOTE: 18 January

Garry is finally on the road to recovery after a rather lethargic week. I’ve continued to test negative. We’re all good to go for our flight to London this evening. No doubt Garry will sleep most of the way!