April 15, “Bon Voyage: Good-bye Sydney, Hello Cruise”

This was our final day in Sydney, before beginning the cruise portion of our trip. The day could best be described as a “day of waiting.” We lingered in bed for a while, then we got dressed and went for breakfast. After the meal, we returned upstairs to our room and packed all of our things. We called the concierge for a porter to help take our luggage downstairs. We checked out, stored our luggage away, and then went for a walk.

(Heading to our final shopping in Sydney)

Our last walk down George Street was to look for some items we’d not been able to find yet. We walked slowly, because I was feeling a bit off due to an intestinal bug. We did eventually get to a bookstore – Dymocks, like the Barnes and Noble of Australia – where Patrise shopped and found two new books for the rest of the trip. While she shopped, I sat on a bench outside of the store.

(George's Camera Shop on George Street, where I purchased a new SD [memory] card for my Nikon camera, two days ago.)

(Dymocks Book store, the Australian Barnes and Noble)

When she finished, we walked back to the hotel so that I could rest. We went to the café area of the hotel and ordered a ginger ale and a sparkling water. I continued sipping on my drink and resting, while Patrise went out again to see if she could find the other items, chiefly a hair cream with olive oil. She returned in about 45 minutes, and we ordered lunch – salads and fruit.

(I had lunch with this classy, beautiful lady. Wooohooo!)

After lunch, we continued waiting until the driver came to pick us up. We loaded our luggage, then he drove us to the cruise terminal to board our ship.

(A view of the Harbor Bridge from the car heading to the cruise terminal)

(A view of the Sydney Opera House from the car heading to the cruise terminal)

(The pier side view of our ship, the Ovation of the Seas)

Although Patrise had advised me to wear my patience cap, the boarding process was much quicker than either of us had expected. In past cruise experiences, we would wait for hours to go through several lines, before finally boarding a ship. On this occasion, the process went as follows: (1) we showed our “Sail Pass” on the cruise line app (equivalent to an airline boarding pass); (2) we showed our passports New Zealand ETAs (travel visas) to one official; (3) next we presented our COVID vaccination cards and photos of our rapid antigen test results to another official; (4) then we went to Australian immigration official and had to show our passports again; (5) then we had to show our Sail Pass again; (6) finally we were welcomed aboard. The whole process was less than thirty (30) minutes.

As soon as we boarded, we went to our stateroom, (10642: that is Deck 10, Room 642) and deposited our carry-on bags; our luggage would be delivered to the room later. Then, we went downstairs to the 4th level, to do our mandatory safety briefing. This was very brief, as the only thing discussed was to show us how to properly put on a life vest, in the event we must abandon the ship. We returned to our stateroom briefly, then decided to visit the Concierge Lounge. All suite guests can have 24/7 access to the Concierge Lounge.

(Selfie while seated in the Concierge Lounge, view of Sydney harbor in the background)

(View of Harbor Bridge from the Concierge Lounge on the cruise ship)

(View of the harbor from the Concierge Lounge on the cruise ship)

The Concierge Lounge is a small, quiet, intimate location with an excellent view of the ocean from the rear of (aft) the ship. It has hors d’oeuvres, nice, cushioned seats, and a concierge and small wait staff to get beverages for you and remove your used dishes and glasses. The concierge’s name is Danilo, and he can make reservations for the ship’s different restaurants and shows – not all shows require reservations, though – and other facilities, wherever, whenever you’d like to go. Danilo is Brazilian, and he has been the head concierge for the past three years. We can reach Danilo from our stateroom by phone or by sending him and email, should we desire his assistance. We enjoyed the quiet luxury of the Concierge Lounge for a time, then returned to our room once again.

By the time we returned to our room, our luggage had been delivered. Therefore, we promptly set about unpacking it fully. For the first time, since we left Atlanta on March 26, we were able to put up all of our clothes, toiletries, electronic items and books. The only things we left in our suitcases were the souvenirs we had purchased thus far. After unpacking and getting our room adjusted to our liking, we went to dinner at the Coastal Kitchen, another facility which is strictly for suite guests (as opposed to general stateroom guests). Purchasing a suite on a cruise is a bit like flying premium economy, business class, or first class, depending on the level of suite one buys. We are in a slightly higher-priced suite (premium economy), although God knows Royal Caribbean tried hard to get us “to bid” on an upgraded suite – anything ranging from an additional $680/person to an additional $7,000 per person. We feel our “basic suite” is luxurious enough for our purposes, and we were not interested in shelling out the extra money. Our suite has a separate living room area, complete with a sofa and coffee table, a balcony, complete with lounge chairs, a deck chair, and a table, and a king size bed and bathroom with shower, tub, and two face bowls. What more could you want? We feel that our needs are sufficiently met by our little “home away from home” for the next 18 days.

We enjoyed dinner at the Coastal Lounge; both of us had the crusted pollock (fish) for our “Main”; I had a Caesar salad, while Patrise had a chicken leg “Entrée” (appetizer). We both had “apple pie” for dinner, which turned out to be more of a small apple turnover, but we were happy with it. After dessert and coffee, we returned to our room. An hour later, I went to the Two70 lounge to attend the “Virtual Symphony,” while Patrise remained in the room to read and look at television.

It was a 45-min presentation of all American 20th and 21st century classical or film score music. The concert was presented by an ensemble with whom I was not familiar, the “American Philharmonic Orchestra”. Still, I enjoyed the music. The concert music was as follows:

Fanfare for the Common Man, Aaron Copeland

Hoedown (from the Billy the Kid Suite) Aaron Copeland

Variations on a Shaker Melody (from Appalachian Spring) Aaron Copeland

Rhapsody in Blue George Gershwin

Selections from Symphonic Dances from Westside Story Leonard Bernstein

Back to the Future Suite Alan Silvestri

Music from Apollo 13 James Horner

Theme Music to Jurassic Park John Williams

A Tribute to John Williams, with themes from

Ø Star Wars

Ø Jaws

Ø Indiana Jones

Ø Star Wars (again)

Ø E.T.

After the concert, I returned to the stateroom, immediately dressed for bed, and waited for my bride’s show to finish, so we could go to sleep. We were both extremely tired from all of the going we’ve been doing for the past three weeks, and we decided in advance that the first two or three days on the ship would be devoted mainly to resting and relaxing.

This is the end of the first day on the ship. Tomorrow will be the first full of ship activities (or not).