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Standing Ovation from the Land Down Under - New Zealand 11 Nights Feb. 2, 2020


twangster

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43 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

@twangster, I note you said there were ladder climbs involved with the bridge. Would it be safe to say that for someone with mobility issues like me it's a flat-out no-can-do?

What was the wind like as you climbed? Were you all clipped into safety lines?

There are two nearly vertical ladder sections.  The steps are flat metal planks around 4" deep and 24" wide.  These ladders occur in two areas to transition from the lower support beams to the upper arches, one of the way up and again on the way down.   The man behind had just celebrated his 80th birthday.  So it's not something that requires participants be in perfect shape but it's hard for me to predict at what level a mobility issue would be a problem.

Check out this YouTube promotional video that shows the safety attachment and the vertical ladder section briefly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-418JocVhhQ

Perhaps you can contact them to help determine if you think it's something that is right for you.  The other walks available may not use the vertical ladder sections but I'm not sure about that.

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2 hours ago, twangster said:

There are two nearly vertical ladder sections.  The steps are flat metal planks around 4" deep and 24" wide.  These ladders occur in two areas to transition from the lower support beams to the upper arches, one of the way up and again on the way down.   The man behind had just celebrated his 80th birthday.  So it's not something that requires participants be in perfect shape but it's hard for me to predict at what level a mobility issue would be a problem.

Looked at the video, the ladders look like you can put your foot through so it's not the ball of the foot on each rung, but can go to the ankle if needed. Was that your experience? If yes, then I could do it because it would let me use my currently fused foot / ankle without major strain on the ankle area. If you had to climb using the front / ball of the foot, then no good as it would put far too much strain on that fused joint, not to mention the other "good" foot that hasn't been fused yet but still has arthritis in the heel and ankle.

For reference, my basement stairs are 9" depth and my heel still hangs off the edge if I don't angle the foot while climbing. Just standing there to measure real quick, it hurt a bit to keep the fused foot straight while leaning down the little bit to use my tape measure; I was fine once I stood back up and angled it again so the whole foot was on the step.

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5 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

Looked at the video, the ladders look like you can put your foot through so it's not the ball of the foot on each rung, but can go to the ankle if needed.

I'm not sure they are deep enough for that.  I used the forward part of my foot but it never occured to me try using the rear part so I'm not sure how that would work out.

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After stopping at my hotel to retrieve my good camera from the safe I walked over to the Sydney Opera House for my 10am tour.

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With such an iconic landmark within walking distance I had to check it out even though I am not an opera person.  

I booked the tour on their website and chose an earlier time thinking it might not be as hot at 10am.   It was pretty hot at 10am.

Next to the water and down one level are some bars and restaurants available to the public.

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After picking up my ticket at the welcome center we met our guide who gave out wireless headphones so we could listen to his commentary.  

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Everything about the Opera House is striking in its form.  These long concrete beams are massive and supported internally by a cable system that wraps around underground and back up to form a loop.  The use of lighting creates an artistic effect that is more than just concrete holding stuff up.

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The Opera House contains a number of venues that can be utilized depending on the nature of the performance and size of the audience.  We were led into one of the theaters where photography is not permitted so no pictures.  There a video was played that explained the history and construction of Opera House.  Our guide answered some questions and we moved on.

There is a story involving the architect Jørn Utzon from Denmark.  That's best explored on your own but they had a room dedicated to his memory.  

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Despite the hard concrete surfaces this room is acoustically tuned to minimize reverb and is ideal for small live performances where sound quality is important.

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The views aren't bad either.

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While this looks like a painting it is a woolen wall hanging that is very heavy and one of the primary features that deadens the reverb so it's highly functional as well as decorative.  

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Our next stop was the main opera theater.  On our way we were able to see the inside of the iconic shapes we have all seen on the outside.

Our first glimpse up the stairs.

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Originally called simply the Opera Theater in 2012 it was renamed after a famous Australian opera singer and is now called the Joan Sutherland Theatre.

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Looking up...

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The stage was being prepared for an event so no photography of the stage area.

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Over on this side of Circular Quay I was able to see the bridge from another angle.

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I saw some little ants climbing the bridge.

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By this time it's close to noon and getting hotter.  Amazing views from up there and a glorious day to take it all in but it's gotta be hot, hot, hot in those jumpsuits.

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I wanted to catch up on some sleep so I could venture out tonight to take some night pictures.  After a few hours of sleep my stomach woke me up asking to be fed.

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The area right behind my hotel had some street vendors set up.

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This BBQ was appealing.

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Emu on the left and Kangaroo on the right.  Very good.

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The pizza vendor had some nice options so I opted for a Supreme pizza to take back to my room.  

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Grabbing a Victoria Bitter beer at the hotel lobby bar made for a complete dinner experience.

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I always enjoy exploring a city at night and taking a few pictures after dark.

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I loved seeing the exposed beams within this old building.  Located right across from the Overseas Passenger Terminal I imagine this used to be an important building in shipping commerce back in the day.

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With the HAL ship departed the pier was opened to the public.

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Near the Circular Quay train station is a street car station.

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Some of these street cars are surprisingly long.  

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Circular Quay is also the hub of a lot of ferry traffic.

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The Rooster:

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The venues near the Sydney Opera House were surprisingly busy.

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Walking out to the end of the Opera House yields a nearly side on view of the bridge.

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With that it was getting late and time to head back towards my hotel.

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I wanted to get some sleep so I could be out on the bridge hoping for another brilliant sunrise and the arrival of Ovation early in the morning.

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Day 1

IT'S CRUISE DAY!!!

But first, I need a ship... and some breakfast.

I had been watching the weather forecast and it didn't look as promising as my time in Sydney has been up to this point.  The morning looked okay but with increased cloud cover.  Possibly some rain later in the day.

My internal body clock is still mostly on eastern time so I didn't need an alarm to wake up earlier than I needed to.  Might as well head out...

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When it's o-dark hundred and you're hungry in The Rocks, there's always Pancakes on the Rocks.  It's open 24 hours.

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This is the quick menu, the full menu is much bigger.

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Time for an Aussie Sunrise.

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Now I can waddle up the hill to the bridge and wait for another Aussie sunrise.

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Looking back towards my breakfast venue and hotel in the distance.

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Looking down the street towards the cruise terminal in the far distance.

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A short walk in the other direction leads to this staircase.  It's early but other than some security here and there it's just me other than that shady character in the bottom left of this picture.

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Up the stairs and over to the next staircase where the bridge stairs are found across the road.  Did I mention I exceeded my stair count on this cruise and it's only day 1 of the cruise?  Pro tip:  Bring comfortable walking shoes.

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Looking back towards my hotel and the city behind it.

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That teenie weenie character through the pylon is security so it seems to be safe even at this early hour.

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Well lit walkway across the bridge even at night.

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A hint of sunrise starting to appear in the sky.

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Looking promising but not quite the same as the morning before.  

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That's when I realized that faint scent was becoming stronger.  I couldn't place it before, now it's unmistakably the smell of bushfire in the air.

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Soon enough I spotted a ship coming into view.

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I was hoping for a repeat of yesterday's sunrise but given the circumstances this will do just fine.

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While not as stunning as the sunrise yesterday, this will do.

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Security walking the bridge.

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My ship has arrived.  Phew.  The cruise can commence.

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Distinct haze in the air today that wasn't present yesterday or the day before.

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That haze isn't clouds or smog.  It's that smokey.

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You can't see it in this picture as well as you can see it live but there is a haze in the air and the distinct smell of bushfires that grew stronger as the morning came to life.

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The time in my last picture coming off the bridge was 6:28am so I have lots of time.  My plan was to walk back to my hotel, finish packing, go through these pictures and post some pictures from previous days and get ready to check out.  

I had my complimentary Pylon Climb ticket that came with the Bridge Climb so I thought I'd drop my bags at the port then walk back up the bridge once again and check out the Pylon Climb around 10am when it opened.  

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After dropping my luggage around 9:45am I headed back to the bridge!

This time with my backpack full of my camera gear again and I immediately noticed the albatross around my neck on the hike up.   I had a free pass to the Pylon Climb and time to kill before boarding so... 

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The Pylon Lookout is found on the first Pylon walking up the bridge from Sydney.  It opens 10am to 5pm and normally costs $19 AUD for adults.

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More stairs, a total of 200 to reach the top.  No lift. 

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Part of the way up the stairs get wider.

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More bridge climbers.

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Some views from the top of the pylon:

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Granted today is a little hazy so with better conditions the views would be even better. 

There is a small gift shop and some displays that provide facts about the bridge.   There is also a small theater running a video on a loop that talks to the construction and history of the bridge. 

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Back down walking off the bridge for the last time:

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Once down off the bridge and walking towards the ship on surface streets you can see the lower support sections where the bridge climbers begins the trek towards the arch.

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Back down to the ship I could see boarding was beginning.   

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The cruise terminal has no waiting area inside so appointment times are strictly enforced.  Once the ship is ready to board they’ll open the doors and start looking for early appointment times.

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With the new expedited arrival feature boarding is pretty quick and pretty much a non-stop flow through check in, Australian immigration and finally security.

To give you an idea how my timing went this morning, this next picture was at 10:15am as I walked towards the Pylon to start my climb.

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This next picture was at 11:41am after I had cleared security and was on the gangway about to walk on the ship.

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And with that the cruise can finally begin!

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Cabin tour

Standard balcony cabin, port side, deck 9.

I've come to really appreciate the Quantum class balcony cabins.  Plenty of storage and great bathroom layout.  These are probably my favorite standard balcony cabins across the fleet.

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The TV hinges outward for viewing from the sofa.

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Desk power includes two 110v North American outlets, 2 USB outlets and a 220v Euro power port.

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Bedside there is one 110v North American outlet.

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It's not every day your balcony view has the Sydney Opera House perfectly framed.

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I waited until we were at sea to take some balcony photos.

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The view down:

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This cabin is aft of the midship elevators on the indented sections.  The view forward:

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The view aft.

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Not bad at all.

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Muster drill at 4:15pm followed soon after by sail away.

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And that's when the rain started.  Light at first but heavy enough to head inside.  Given the bushfires in the region I'm glad to see some rain even if it meant not taking any pictures.   Just wish it rained more and heavier.

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Pretty sail away through the windows given the circumstances.  I imagine it would be very pretty under sunny skies.  Guess I'll have to book another Sydney departure to find out.

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Housekeeping items

No sail away party on deck departing Sydney.  The Sydney City Council and the Sydney Residents Council voted to restrict music on outer decks of cruise ships.  Our CD mentioned that we have a few ports like that on this itinerary.

Wow bands have the muster station printed on them.  They were available at guest services upon arrival for $5 unless in a Junior Suite or better.

Diamond Plus are still allowed in the Concierge Lounge when the numbers permit it.  No directive from Miami to restrict Diamond Plus as perceived on some ships in other regions.  Our lounge concierge has had to restrict Diamond Plus before when there are high numbers of Diamond Plus present.  Eighty or ninety Diamond Plus is a rough number that can be accommodated.  On transpacific or certain other itineraries when there are nearly 500 Diamond Plus there simply isn't enough space or servers to keep it an enjoyable experience for all guests who have access to the Concierge Lounge.  

The cruise terminal has no waiting area inside so appointment times are strictly enforced.  Once the ship is ready to board they’ll open the doors and start looking for early appointment times.  Once you are allowed in you flow between the required stops at check in, Australian immigration for exit purposes and finally security.  The use of boarding times keeps the flow moving with some but minimal queueing at each stop.

When using Voom internet, the O3b satellite platform makes it appear that I am located in Mount Airy, MD U.S.A. which is one of many earth stations for SES/O3b.   

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RCTV Channel Lineup

While down under Ovation has a different channel lineup compared to when it was in the Northern Hemisphere.

14 - RCTV

15 - ShoreEx

16 - Cruise Compass

17 - Itinerary Map

18 - RCTV 2 

19 - Next Cruise

20 - Australian Drama & Comedy

21 - ESPN Pacific Rim

22 - Sport24

23 - Kids Programming

24 - Teens Programming

26 - ABC News 24  (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, not ABC from the U.S.)

27 - MSNBC

29 - BBC World News

30 - Sky News Australia

31 - OV Views (various outdoor cameras on board Ovation)

32 - BBC HD

33 - Red Bull TV

34 - Prime Favorites

35 - Prime Journeys

36 - XYTV

37 - Voyage Information

38 - RCTV Channel Guide

 

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