Day 1 - BICT

Day 0 is finally here. Made it to Michelle's place ok yesterday and had a catch up with all the girls and grandkids. Heading off to the BICT this morning with a car full of luggage and excited seniorLeer más
Day 2 - Sea Day

Woke early to a fine day off the coast of northern NSW. After a coffee & tea we headed to the Horizon Court buffet to brave the crowds. So good to see staff directing everyone to the wash basinsLeer más
Day 3 - Newcastle

A lovely sail into Newcastle this morning for our first port of call. Breakfast again in the Buffet with a nice Eggs Florentine. Off to explore Newcastle via the free shuttle bus without Rob & Geoff.Leer más
Day 4 - Sea Day

A pretty uneventful sea day to allow us to catch up a bit. Sailing due east from Newcastle to pass the day as we couldn't get into Sydney until the next day. We filled the day attending briefingsLeer más
Day 5 - Sydney

A spectacular sail in to Sydney Harbour in the early hours didn't disappoint. The city lights up like a Christmas tree. We had a leisurely breakfast while we watched all the unfortunates disembarking.Leer más
Day 6 - Sea Day

Time to wind down today after Sydney. Funny it took us 5 days to get from Brisbane to Sydney and yet we have made it back to offshore of Brisbane in less than a day 🤔. Formal night tonight so weLeer más
Day 7 - Sea Day

A fine start to the day but we are watching a developing cyclone right in our path. Fingers crossed.
A very interesting presentation this morning by the resident marine warfare expert about theLeer más
Day 8 - Sea Day

Our last sea day for a little while and we seem to have avoided the cyclone so far. I did an overlay of our position on the cyclone map early this morning and we are past the worst of it. Now justLeer más
Day 9 - Alotau

We snuck into Alotau in the early morning. It's easy to see why the Japanese were so keen to take control of this lovely harbour. After breakfast we headed out into the town in overcast but pleasantLeer más
Day 10 - Conflict Islands (or not)

Bugger. The crappy weather and strengthening storm have combined to wipe out our day at Conflict Islands. We were so looking forward to being able to snorkel in the apparently crystal clear waters butLeer más
Day 11 - Sea Day

The weather continues to be a nuisance with showers and wind restricting outdoors activities. We are watching the progress of Cyclone Alfred like everyone else even though it is not really affectingLeer más
Day 12 - Yep. Another Sea Day

The weather in the mornings is surprising. We seem to be getting dismal weather early and it fines up a bit later in the day. Explored more of the upper parts of the ship this morning. The golf courseLeer más
Day 13 - Sea Day

Today was dominated by the Equator Crossing. Any staff and many passengers who had never crossed the Equator in a ship were inducted as Shellbacks by King Neptune and summarily thrown into the pool. ALeer más
Day 14 & 15 - Sea Days

Nothing much happening on these days as I got a bit sick. Probably COVID but we don't have any test kits and I'm not going to the Medical Centre. It'll pass. A few nice shots of some brown boobiesLeer más
Day 16 - Sea Day

Another sea day and another day spent mostly in bed for me. We have pretty much had a gutful of this bug which we think is influenza and Faye is coming down with it now as well. All variations ofLeer más
Day 17 - Manila

Finally some solid land again. Arrival in Manila Harbour was a bit chaotic with multiple small fishing boats moving out of our path at the last minute even with the captain blasting them on the horn.Leer más
Day 18 - Sea Day

Rest day after Manila and glad of it. Seems we are not as young as we used to be. A quiet day with a nice meal and entertainment in the Wheelhouse Bar before unconsciousness.
Day 19 - Hong Kong

Another chaotic start to our day in Hong Kong. The ship provided very little information about transport options from the cruise terminal and we had to get to a start point in the city to meet ourLeer más
Day 20 - Sea Day

A day to recover from Hong Kong., do some washing and relax. I didn't even take one photo!
Day 21 - Keelung (Taiwan)

Original plan was to catch the local train to Taipei to explore but we are all still feeling the effects of this bug we've caught so we decided to explore Keelung. First thing was a visit to a chemistLeer más
Day 23 - Kagoshima Japan

Japan! Finally we make landfall in Japan. Another drizzly day but we are just happy to be able to explore our first Japanese city.
Day 22 - Sea Day

A drizzly miserable old day heading north. We occupied ourselves with the standard stuff, eating, drinking, trivia and cards.
Day 25 - Kobe

Another drizzly cold day for our day in Kobe but it didn't really affect us much. Hopped on the Port Liner train for a quick trip into town. Went looking for the Herb Gardens Cable Car and eventuallyLeer más
Day 26 - Shimizu

A late 1:00pm arrival time in Shimizu on another cold, drizzly day. We caught the free shuttle into town for a bit of an explore. Had a browse down the covered shopping street. Nowhere near as manyLeer más
Day 27 - Yokohama / Tokyo

Very sad to leave the Diamond Princess but ready for the next part of our trip. Disembark went fairly smoothly after a bit of delay. The private transfer we had booked to get to our hotel was veryLeer más