Fwd: Day One - Embarkation Day

Day One - Embarkation Day

After a late night we had an early morning departure as a our designated boarding time was 11.30am to 12md.  Unfortunately or fortunately there was track work being carried out so the trains were replaced with buses.  This meant that the usual 2.50hr train journey was reduced to 2.20hrs in the bus.  Out 8.30 departure got us to Circular Quay by 11.40am.  There was a massive line up of people waiting to board but fortunate the officials removed all early boarders (most had boarding times later in the day and apparently Carnival adhere to the boarding times printed on your boarding pass.... not like Princes!) from the line which meant that we were on the ship by midday.

Once on board we headed to our cabin to off load our hand luggage but unfortunately the hallways to the cabins were locked until 1.30pm.  I assume this is to give the staff adequate time to refit and clean the cabins before the new passengers are let loose!

No problem really for us as we did a tour of the ship as we have not been on this ship before.  We then headed for lunch before returning to our cabin to unpack and be on deck for our 4pm spillway.

I must say the architecture and decor of this ship is very different to what we are used to.  

The buffet is very large with lots of seating.  The food is spread out in various locations offering a good variety from burgers, pizzas, Mexican, Asian, fruit, gourmet desserts, specialty coffee self serve machine, soft serve ice cream and much more.  You couldn't possibly go hungry or not find anything that you didn't  like.

We settled ourselves in a pod at the back on the starboard side which was great for sailaway.  I must say I like these pods... They are so comfortable and give you some protection from the wind.  With a nice cold bottle of wine we were in prime viewing area to take in the Bridge and Opera House as we cruised out of Circular Quay and headed for the Heads.  

Tonight we had booked into Nouveau the specialty dining restaurant which has a cover charge of $45 each... The menu is similar to the Steak House on Princess which has a cover charge of $25 each.  The dining are for Nouveau has it's own up market dining area which is better than the Steak House that just partitions off part of the Horizons Buffet area.  With all things considered I prefer the Princess Steak House experience.

After dinner we checked out the bars on the ship which there are plenty and all were packed and pumping.  Loved the band in the Red Frog Pub.

All in all a good start to our cruise.

Our ship awaits…. from Circular Quay railway station.

Eeeek!!!!! Josh we found the spider!!!!

Embarkation Hall

On board waiting for the ropes to be released.

We're off and away!! Melbourne here we come….

The Pilot leaves us…..

A baby whale.

Cabin 4148

Our Cabin - Obstructed View French Doors - 4148

Our cabin is on Deck 4 mid ship which was ideal as we were very close to the main lifts and also the glass panoramic lifts which made access to the rest of the ship very easy.

The french doors open so you can get fresh air or check the outside air temperatures.  We were lucky that our doors were positioned in the middle of two tenders so we had a good view even though it was classified as an "obstructed view" cabin.

The cabin itself was very comfortable with a king size bed, a good size bathroom, plenty of hanging space, a bank of shelves, a small bar fridge, a large flat screen TV and a lounge settee with coffee table.  The settee was not that comfortable as it was covered in a cheap thin crinkly vinyl which was hot to sit on and felt like plastic.  All in all we were very happy with our choice of cabin and the amenities it provided.

We did not see out cabin steward very much and he didn't seem to know that we went to late sitting for dinner so he often came to service the room right when we were getting ready.  We were given a form to fill out on the first day to select either a morning service or a morning and afternoon service…. we chose the latter.  The stewards seem to work in pairs and service quite a few cabins.  

Carnival market this ship as the Fun ship and I think they might be right…. this ship has a heartbeat!

Preamble or Preramble

Off and Racing

Not long now and we will be cruising to the Melbourne Cup.  After last year we vowed that we would not need to go to the Melbourne Cup again but when Carnival made an error with their pricing online we just had to do it!!
 
Last year we were lucky enough to get a last minute deal on the P&O Pacific Pearl.  This meant that all the grandstand seating was sold out.  We debated whether to take fold up chairs but just took a blanket and sat on the grassed area with all the other thousands of people.  The weather was perfect.... blue skies, sunny and HOT.  I actually had to use my umbrella to shield us from the sun!  As the day progressed the drunks got drunker which was not conducive to a relaxing afternoon watching the races and taking in the scenery of which there was plenty!!  Our little patch of grass that we carefully selected so that we would be on the edge of the beautiful rose gardens to minimise the passing parade soon became a thoroughfare.... people would just walk straight through the middle and were even trampling on and through the beautiful rose gardens.  The lines to place bets and to get drinks were long and tiresome so you can see why we were not in a hurry to rush back.  Having said that the actually cruise was great and we were with friends which made it even better. 

This time we were booked early enough to secure seats in the grandstand so at least it will be civilised and more comfortable.  The only question mark now is the weather.... the grandstand that we are in has no roof so is open to the elements whether it be sunshine or rain.  Unfortunately the weather is predicted to be wet and cold!! Let's hope they are wrong.....

This will be our first cruise with Carnival so it will be interesting to compare to the other cruise lines we have previously been on.  Carnival generally have a reputation to cater more to families but I can't see a lot of kids cruising to the Melbourne Cup.

The itinerary is as follows:
Day 1 - Depart Sydney 4pm
Day 2 - At Sea
Day 3 - Melbourne - Melbourne Cup
Day 4 - Melbourne
Day 5 - Melbourne - Crown Oaks - Depart Melbourne 6pm
Day 6 - At Sea
Day 7 - Arrive Sydney

Until my next entry.... giddy up!!