A muse on the Muse to NZ.

[mrs.dr.ron]

I wanted to call this COMBINED tr " an AMUSEMENT across the ditch " but someone thought his title was better !!

 

[love_the_life]

So mrsdrron, you'll be musing a tad on board???? or are you drron's muse (a la Shakespeare in Love)????

And sailaway is tomorrow? Lucky duck.

 

[Pushka]

A tiara does make a nice statement IMO.
When I was staying in a cottage at Balmoral Castle, a friend gave me a tiara to wear! The photo was of me hanging out the washing (on lines strung between trees no less) in my nightie and tiara!
And... I swear we were passed by Lizzy in one of the Range Rovers. We were told she had come in to the estate a few days early and was in one of the other homes, not the castle itself. Walking on one of the roads one evening we were passed twice by the Range Rover driven by an older woman with a headscarf. Swear it was her from the view I got!

One thing I have learned from why QM2 with Pushka is that although a beaded gown is lovely and looks smashing, it is incredibly heavy in the luggage. I've decided no more beaded numbers!

Definitely. Beads = gorgeous but heavy.

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

So mrsdrron, you'll be musing a tad on board???? or are you drron's muse (a la Shakespeare in Love)????
And sailaway is tomorrow? Lucky duck.

No = tomorrow is fly to SYD - dinner in Chinatown - Saturday - breakfast with the grandkids - then off to White Bay Cruise Terminal - 6pm is sail out of SYD Harbour - under the Harbour Bridge, past the Opera House, turn right at the heads ..........

 

[Pushka]

So mrsdrron, you'll be musing a tad on board???? or are you drron's muse (a la Shakespeare in Love)????

And sailaway is tomorrow? Lucky duck.

Oops. Sounds like you stowed away a couple of days early! Watch out the crew doesn’t flush out the lifeboats and find you.

 

[love_the_life]

Oops. Sounds like you stowed away a couple of days early! Watch out the crew doesn’t flush out the lifeboats and find you.

Lol - I always like to be early

 

[love_the_life]

No = tomorrow is fly to SYD - dinner in Chinatown - Saturday - breakfast with the grandkids - then off to White Bay Cruise Terminal - 6pm is sail out of SYD Harbour - under the Harbour Bridge, past the Opera House, turn right at the heads ..........

Ah, I was confused as they say. When drron said leaving Friday I thought you were sailing then.

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

So Friday night I surprised Ron by taking him to dinner @ The Golden Century restaurant in Chinatown. Sitting at the table waiting for us was a couple we hadnt seen for 40 years - the groomsman from our wedding. We talked for 4 hours non stop !!

 

[Flying mermaid]

I might sneak onboard for this one - hope I don’t get too sea sick

 

[love_the_life]

I might sneak onboard for this one - hope I don’t get too sea sick

Just put on your special goggles.

 

[tgh]

Mostly fair winds and following seas for the first few days.. after that…googles time….

 

[ellen10]

Am I too late to board?

 

[drron]

Absolutely not.I am just about to start our journey on the early morning QF flight MCY-SYD.
Left for MCY ~0530.Checkin a breeze.This time we are in J on an AA award so our Aadvantage numbers in.I am OWS on AA.But this time they KWWW.Settled into 1A,C.Departed a few minutes late as plane was a little late into MCY the night before.Breakfast was a nice quiche.

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They made up a lot of time and we were a little early into SYD.Then a big shock.Our bags out first!Of course we were way too early to check into our hotel so the moral of the story is that if you want to have your bags out first then have a desire for them to take as much time as they like.
Because of this we had a coffee at Hudson,s Coffee just near the baggage carousel.Interesting people watching.The highlight was a woman coming up the escalator from the train station,rushing over to the carousel and collecting the last remaining bag and then heading back to the station.

We then got a taxi to our hotel.Fortunately he took the slowest possible route.However it was just after 1030 when we arrived at the Ultimo hotel just opposite the old Paddy's Markets.It is a Rydges hotel but Rydges is nowhere to be seen in the hotel.However being on a shareholder rate a room was ready for us but others were being told checkin was at 1500.

So to the room.We booked a superior king room but got a larger family room.

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Only a shower.Also note the wardrobes in the little area for the third person.

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You didn't see them?Well here is the one for the main bedroom.

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The view.

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How about sitting on the lounge and watching TV?

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It's also another bed.
Our room from outside.

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Several reasons for not staying here again.First each floor is on 3 levels so 2 lots of narrow and steep stairs between eacl level-awful forgetting your bags to the room.
Second-no power points in the bathroom,the mirror in the room or besides the bed.
But if no luggage and you love Asian food the position is fantastic.

 

[drron]

After checking in we went to lunch with my sister who is over from the UK.Went to the old Grace Bros and the Bondi Pizza company.Reasonable.

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But we were served by a young woman on her first day who probably didn't have English as even her second language-she got no help from the other staff so we ended up having 4 pizzas for the price of 3 as our order was very wrong.

On the way out I stopped at Dymocks and bought a book to read on the cruise.

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That evening mrsdrron had a surprise for me.She had arranged dinner at the Golden Century Chinese reastaurant in Sussex street with an old friend of mine from Uni days.He was also one of my groomsmen at our wedding.The food was good and we kept talking for at least 4 hours before leaving.
Although Sydney had put on a cold and wet day we all decided to walk down Dixon street as it was approaching the Chinese New Year-though the City Council in all their wisdom was calling it the Lunar New Year to be more inclusive.

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Pretty much deserted unfortunately.But only a very short walk to the hotel and a good nights sleep.

 

[Pushka]

After checking in we went to lunch with my sister who is over from the UK.Went to the old Grace Bros and the Bondi Pizza company.Reasonable.

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But we were served by a young woman on her first day who probably didn't have English as even her second language-she got no help from the other staff so we ended up having 4 pizzas for the price of 3 as our order was very wrong.

On the way out I stopped at Dymocks and bought a book to read on the cruise.

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That evening mrsdrron had a surprise for me.She had arranged dinner at the Golden Century Chinese reastaurant in Sussex street with an old friend of mine from Uni days.He was also one of my groomsmen at our wedding.The food was good and we kept talking for at least 4 hours before leaving.
Although Sydney had put on a cold and wet day we all decided to walk down Dixon street as it was approaching the Chinese New Year-though the City Council in all their wisdom was calling it the Lunar New Year to be more inclusive.

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Pretty much deserted unfortunately.But only a very short walk to the hotel and a good nights sleep.

Apparently it is Lunar New Year because son informed me many countries celebrate at this time. He was recovering from Vietnamese lunar New Year today.

 

[love_the_life]

On your choice of book, the Indigenous people I worked with and know, generally have little time for him. He is considered to have sold out - I think the term is coconut (black on the outside, white inside). I would be interested to hear what you think of his book.

 

[drron]

Well you must mix with indigenous people who live in cities.The indigenous people I meet in places like Mt.Isa,Kalgoorlie and Geraldton think the reverse.Though they would never use the word coconut which they feel is racist.

 

[love_the_life]

Well you must mix with indigenous people who live in cities.The indigenous people I meet in places like Mt.Isa,Kalgoorlie and Geraldton think the reverse.Though they would never use the word coconut which they feel is racist.

It was unusual to hear that term I agree and that was the word used by my Indigenous colleagues not me or the other non-Indig staff. Whilst quite a few are based in Canberra, others were in remote areas.
As I said I’m keen to hear what you think of the book.

 

[drron]

Saturday and it began visiting our family and having brekkie with the family.Returned to the Ultimo around midday and checked out at 1230 as arranged on checkin.Lucky as we stepped outside a vacant taxi pulled up so soon at the White Bay Cruise Terminal.The cabbie was also lucky as he pulled in there a couple came out looking for a taxi.

So boarded the Muse and went straight to lunch in Atlantide.Mrsdrron started with a prawn and avocado salad and I a scallop cerviche..

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Mrsdrron enjoyed the salad though too much lettuce.The cerviche was quite bland.
For mains mrsdrron had the steamed salmon and I the vegetable biryani.Both were good.

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For dessert we both had the pavlova.

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It was nice.

 

[drron]

About 2 pm we went to our suite.The first bag was delivered a couple of minutes later but we had to wait~2 hours for our second bag.It arrived just before the compulsory lifeboat drill.
So the pictures of our suite.First the bedroom and walk in wardrobe.

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The bathroom with a tub for two and an excellent shower.

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Note the lengths I go to to keep out of the picture.
The sitting room.

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And a make up area.

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And from our patio we see the Soilver Whisper which is doing a world cruise.

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So we wave to Turtlemichael-who of course isn't on board at this time.

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