Summer weather in Australia
Just to let you know, we went in the summer season in Australia on my birthday, February 4th. The temperature in the north of Australia was around 105 degrees F, or 34 C. The humidity was around 95 or more! Huge cyclones in northern Austrailia. Some of the worst ever.
We were told the flooding was so bad in the north, all the low land was flooded and crocodiles floated all over the land, creeks, ponds, rivers and so on. Some 18 feet long. So don't go in the water on land!
That also means don't go into the water in the Coral Sea. The jellyfish are very dangerous. Some as small as your little finger. Many places we saw netting surrounding a swimming area in the sea. We saw many people and children swimming inside the nets.
I was sitting on the 14th deck in the afternoon having a drink and saw this cloud over the sea. The rain came down in sheets. The cloud came over the ship, the windows were covered with water. The cloud continued on to the island, then back into the sea. Rain coming down in buckets all the time as the cloud did a circle!
Welcome to Australia!
The flag of Australia is based on the British Blue Ensign - a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper
hoist quarter - augmented with a large white seven-pointed star (the Commonwealth Star) and a representation of the Southern Cross constellation, made up of five white stars (one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars). There are other official flags representing Australia, its people and core functions of government.
The flag's original design (with a six-pointed Commonwealth Star) was chosen in 1901 from entries in a competition held following Federation, and was first flown in Melbourne on 3 September 1901, the date proclaimed as Australian National Flag Day.
A slightly different design was approved by King Edward VII in 1903. The current seven-pointed Commonwealth Star version was introduced by a proclamation dated 8 December 1908. The dimensions were formally gazetted in 1934, and in 1954 the flag became recognised by, and legally defined in, the Flags Act 1953, as the "Australian National Flag".
|
Brief History of Australia
|
Brief History of Australia and a Map
The history of Australia refers to the history of the area and people of the Commonwealth of Australia and its preceding Indigenous and colonial societies. Aboriginal Australians are believed to have first arrived on the Australian mainland by sea from Maritime Southeast Asia between 40,000 and 70,000 years ago. The artistic, musical and spiritual traditions they established are among the longest surviving such traditions in human history.
Read More about the history of the Austrailia.......
Australia Money
Australia Itinerary
|
Airline Flights to Australia
|
Flight Schedules
Leave SFO at 6:40 pm on January 22nd, 2024 on Alaska Airlines to LAX. Leave at 10:30 pm on Qantas Airlines from LAX to SYD, Sydney Austrailia.
Vaccinations - Charles Buntjer
I completed the forms and the response indicated I would get the actual AustralianETA Visa notification within 72 hours. I never got an email so logged onto the App and found a link that indicated I now had an ETA Visa attached to my passport number!
Application/Receipt Received |
Australian ETA Visa |
|
Vibe Hotel
|
January 22/24, 2024
|
Sydney - Vibe Hotel Sydney
Our trip advisor told us the following about hotels. The Adina and the Veriu are the only hotels that offer airport shuttles. The other two do not. Additionally, you will have to ask the front desk of the hotel of your choosing to arrange a cab or some type of transportation to the ship the day of. I am not able to arrange that for you.
We usually fly a day or so early just in case there is an airline problem. We had that happpen on our trip to Dubai, engine trouble and we had to fly back to San Francisco and get a new reservation on Emmerit Airlines the next day.
I will see if I can also take a quick tour of Sydney, especially the Opera House!
Sydney is Australia's showcase city, and its grand harbor never fails to impress arriving cruise ship passengers. Its most famous attractions are the landmark Opera House and Harbor Bridge. Bondi Beach is a surfer's heaven, and Watson's Bay offers terrific views of Sydney's skyline. View kangaroos, emus and, of course, koalas at Koala Park, or take a stroll through The Rocks, Sydney's oldest neighborhood.
Vibe Hotel Sydney |
Vibe Dinner |
Queen's Hotel |
Noon Cocktails on the Roof! |
Old Buildings |
Nice Brick Buildings |
Buildings by the Dock |
Sales Force left - Crown Hotel on the Right |
O
ver View
Celebrity Edge is the first in a class of revolutionary ships designed to raise the bar on cruise vacations. The ship’s unique outward facing design allows guests to feel more immersed in each journey, and more connected to the sea around them.
The re-imagined terrace pool deck provides travelers more spectacular views as the ship sails between ports and destinations, and the Resort Deck offers a Rooftop Garden with an urban “playscape” that is unlike any other outdoor space at sea.
Relax in the outward facing asymmetrical pool, or have a picnic while watching a movie in the garden.
The Magic Carpet, located on the starboard side of the ship, features a full bar with space for live music and plenty of comfortable seating.
It has access from several decks and each provides a different experience from Dinner on the Edge to a luxury embarkation station with sea-level views.
Guests can relax in the Solarium after a full day in port by grabbing a drink from the Spa Café & Juice Bar and lounging in the adult only pool.
Chucks |
Virginia |
Tours
Two Tours
Most of the tours were booked or indicated they would be difficult to do, rough terrain and slippery. Others were 8 hours or very expensive. There were a lot of complaints about the tours.
Two of the four tours were canceled by the tour operators.
Cairns - Kuranda Rainforest |
Port Douglas - Wildlife Habitat |
|
Boarding
|
Day 1 - January 25, 2024
|
Sydney - Board the Ship
Cruises from Sydney depart from fall through spring.
Cruise Terminal Location
White Bay Cruise Terminal (Azamara, Cruise & Maritime Voyages, Crystal, Fred. Olsen, Holland America, Oceania, Princess, Seabourn, Silversea)
Access via James Craig Road, Robert St, Balmain
NSW 2041, Australia
The famous Sydney Harbor Bridge!
|
|
The famous Sydney Opera House!
Sailing from Sydney on the evening tide!
|
|
|
The famous Sydney Opera House!
|
Captains Lunch
|
Day 1 - January 25, 2024
|
Special Luncheon with the Captain
Concierge Class Stateroom Luncheon
Tucsony Restaurant |
|
|
At Sea
|
Day 2/3/4 - January 26/27,28, 2024
|
Rerouted due to a Cyclone in the North
Sailing to Airlie Beach and Docking
Airlie Beach is a remote North Queensland destination near the Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsunday Islands. The pristine beaches and lagoons in the area make Airlie Beach a perfect place for swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, sailing, and other water activities. For those wishing to stay dry, there is plenty to do, including shopping in local markets, whale watching, horseback riding, parasailing, and visiting a nearby wildlife park.
Captain's Event
|
|
|
|
|
|
This couple were being celebrated for their 32nd cruise since 2010!
|
Cairns
|
Day 5 - January 29, 2024
|
Landing at the Cairns Dock
A tropical town with its edge on the Coral Sea, Cairns is the jumping-off point for the Great Barrier Reef. The most popular excursions include snorkeling, fishing, rafting, canoeing, horseback riding or taking a train ride through the rain forest at Kuranda. For remarkable views of Trinity Bay, walk along the Esplanade or explore the Heritage Walk for some intriguing historical insights.
|
Port Douglas
|
Day 6 - January 30, 2024
|
Landing at the Port Douglas Dock
Port Douglas is situated along Australia's North Queensland coast on the path of the Cook Highway. The town you see today has developed over the last 10 years into a resort. Some of the original colonial buildings remain, though most visitors come here to explore the outer reef, with its large masses of coral and hundreds of species of fish.
|
Willis Island
|
Day 7 - January 31, 2024
|
Sailing around Willis Island
Cruising around Willis Island - A weather station and four people living there.
|
Galley Tour
|
Day 7 - January 31, 2024
|
Afternoon Tour of the Galley Kitchen
|
Birthday Party
|
Day 8 - February 01, 2024 - First Birthday Party
|
Birthday Party
First Birthday Party at the Cosmopolitan Restaurant
The servers heard it was my birthday and we were going to the Eden for my special dinner the next night. They decided to get me a cake and sing Happy Birthday to me the day before we went to the Eden.
The woman server was so funny. The next day I was going to the 14th deck for breakfast at the buffet and she saw me and yelled out so everyone heard her, "It's his 84th birthday!" Lots of smiles all over the area!
|
At Sea
|
January/February, 2024
|
Entertainment
Some of the Entertainment over the 10 day cruise!
|
Brisbane
|
Day 9 - February 2, 2024
|
Sailing into the Brisbane Dock
Located almost halfway between the Gold and Sunshine coast regions, Brisbane is the capital of Queensland and Australia's third-largest city. Visitors can stroll through bamboo groves at an urban botanic garden, gorge on local delicacies amid live music at Eat Street Northshore, learn about the country's military history at the Anzac Square War Memorial and enjoy a cruise down the Brisbane River. Wildlife lovers should make time to get to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, where you can not only cuddle one of the 130 koalas, but hand-feed kangaroos and observe a pair of platypuses. There's no shortage of scenic vantage points in this port, whether it's the observation deck on Mount Coot-tha, an enclosed capsule on the Wheel of Brisbane or along the stairs that lead you up the famous Story Bridge. If you're feeling adventurous, take in the panoramas from atop Kangaroo Point, then rappel down the side of its cliffs.
|
Eden
|
Chuck's 84th Birthday Dinner
|
84th Birthday Dinner
Celebrity Cruises‘ Eden is a specialty restaurant found only on their Edge-class ships: Edge, Apex, and Beyond at this writing. It is a stunning three-story venue with soaring ceilings, hundreds of plants, and an unparalleled view of the ship’s wake.
Eden offers a seven-course tasting menu with wine, or you can order à la carte as you wish.
During our visit, there was no up-charge for ordering more than one appetizer or entrée.
The cover charge for this specialty restaurant is $60.00 per person to order off the menu, or $100.00 per person for the tasting menu with wine, but it’s well worth it. Itis open for dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and has live music nightly. The dress code for Eden is Smart Casual attire.
The bar and café are on the second level, usually on Deck 5, which is where the restaurant’s entrance is located. The restaurant is a level down, accessed by stairs from the bar area. The top level is a balcony that surrounds the venue, looking down on it, and contains seating for those wanting to enjoy the live music.
And the food? It is unparalelled, easily making Eden the best restaurant on the ship, and we were in the Retreat and ate many of our meals at their exclusive Luminae restaurant. Luminae is wonderful, don’t get me wrong, but the food at Eden is even better.
If you try something and don’t care for it, don’t worry. Just let your waiter know and they will bring you something else. No problem.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Room Service
|
Day 10 - February 3, 2024
|
At Sea
More Costs for Services
$9.50 for Room Service
- Virginia read that room service now is $9.50 each time one uses it except for the Continenal Breakfast consisting of coffee, rolls, butter, juice and a small fruit dish. They did give us a free bottle of Brut so we mixed orange juice and bubbly Brut for breakfast! Tasty!
- $18.50 is taken out of one's account each day for tips.
- $50.00 a day for intenet. We decided not to have internet.
- $100.00 a day for the liguor package. Note: If two in a room, both have to purchase the package. We found out a small glass of wine for dinner was $12.00 so we only ordered one drink a day. $12.00 versus $100.00. So no liguor package.
- $500.00 each for Health Insurance Note: As one gets older it is a must to get insurance. If one get ill before the trip you can cancel and get your money back. On this trip, one woman in a cabin with a friend was very ill on the third day of the cruise. The ship had to stop near an area where a helicopter could land and take her to a hospital. Can you imagine the costs in another country without insurance? When I was in Cuba, they had universal health care, a woman on the tour was ill, they corrected her medications and she could continue with us on the tour, eight of us touring the eastern half of Cuba. No charge for her, free care!
- Of course tours were extra, from around $70.00 to $800.00. Many were not happy with the tours. I went on one for $170.00 for four hours. We were suppose to see an aboriginal village. We drove up a mountain, said to be a 150 million year old rain forest, oldest in the world. No stopping, got to the village, only thing was a sign in aboriginal meaning Meeting Place. Only two aboriginal men, maintenance. All shops run by very white Australians. Plus $21.00 to see butterflies, $21.00 to see a parrot, $21.00 to see a koala and of course, shops to buy kangaroo leather and fur gifts. Back to the ship, excuse me!
|
|
|
At Sea
|
Day 10 - February 3, 2024
|
At Sea
Sailing to Sydney
Art of the Deal - Art Auction with Champagne
|
Sydney Dock
|
Day 11 - February 4, 2024
|
Deboarding the Ship - Flight back to San Francisco
Arival time of ship: 6:30 am
Transfer to a handicapped shuttle at 7:30 am. Airport by nine am.
Took off around noon for a 12 hours flight.
Going was 15 hours, a tail wind would allow us to come back two hours earlier.
We also crossed he date line that allowed us to come back the same day we took off!
|
Airline Flights to Las Angeles and San Francisco
|
Flight Schedules to San Francisco
Flight back to the USA at 11:15 am on Qantas to LAX. Then LAX to SFO on Alaska Airlines, landing at 1:45 pm in San Francisco.
We ended up flying American Eagle from LAX but we were caught in one of the worst wind and rain storms in years.
- Landed in LAX at six am.
- Sat in the American Eagle terminal until noon.
- Noon - Flight canceled due to strong winds and rain.
- Two pm - Canceled
- Five pm - On the plane, sat on the runway for half an hour, back to the terminal.
- 10:30 pm - Last plane to SFO for two days.
- Last to get on but made it back to the City by midnight.
- Taxi home by 1 am Monday morning.
- Around 40 hours from Sydney to San Francisco!
The view of San Francisco from Chuck's apartment on the 28th floor of Fox Plaza!
Many of the places I have visited over the last 65 years starting with the Bahamas in 1962. And in 2024 I went to Australia for my 84th birthday!
Virginia and Chuck on the Queen Mary II on their Transatlantic cruise from South Hampton to New York City.
I have been to Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand, Fiji and other countries around Austrailia so it seemed I should go to Austrailia to finalize many of my South Pacific countries!
Buntjer's Home Page