Mooloolaba, QLD

New-to-Us Port #1.

With a mere 76 NM to go overnight from Brisbane, Regatta arrived at its anchorage for the tender port of Mooloolaba at 7:00a. Too early to go anywhere. So, we took our time over breakfast … on the outside deck at the Terrace Café.

Our day ashore started with sunshine and rough seas.

Our day ashore ended with a rain storm and rough seas.

The tender ride in either direction was a bumpy one. We were, in fact, surprised that we were even tendering ashore in these conditions. Turns out, as I later heard, at some point after we left, tendering was halted and a number of passengers were unable to go ashore at all.

For us, our time ashore at the beach town of Mooloolaba involved a long walk along the esplanade. We had gone ashore prepared to spend time at the beach so Mui could go for a swim. It took just one look at the surf to change those plans. No matter. Our stroll followed a scenic path, and with the breeze moderating the temperature, it was a pleasant way to enjoy the town.

Eventually, retracing our path back into town, we went to The Wharf — the area near the tender pier — to have lunch at See … a seafood restaurant recommended to us by one of the locals. She did not steer us wrong. From the Mandala Pinot Noir — served chilled, to the Parmesan loaf, to our main courses — coconut prawns for me and barramundi for Mui — it was all delicious.

That we got to enjoy our meal on the restaurant’s deck … without getting wet when the storm moved in with heavy rain and strong winds … well, that was a bonus. Even better, the intense storm was over by the time we were ready to walk to the tender pier for the wild ride back to Regatta.

The ship was an hour late leaving its anchorage. We didn’t really mind as we were still managing a strong shoreside cell signal … thanks to the Telstra eSims we purchased in Sydney when we first arrived in Oz Land. We used it to call family … in my case to wish my mom and sister, both of who are Christmas Eve babies, happy birthday and merry Christmas.

The show tonight was, as one might expect, Christmas themed … “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Bryn, our cruise director [CD], started things off with a reading of the story by that title … adapted to the Regatta. There were Christmas carols and dances by the cast members, and the guest entertainers and the quartet participated as well. Very well done.

Tomorrow we get to relax at sea while Regatta continues to chip away at the 634 nautical miles between Mooloolaba and our next port of call.Read more