Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

Reports about cruises on Aurora
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Gill W
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Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

#1

Post by Gill W »

i returned last week, after seeing some amazing places. We were onboard for 45 nights and the time flew past.

I'll be posting my cruise diary, hopefully it'll be of interest

Day 1 - 2

12th - 13th February 2017

Singapore

Our journey started on the evening of 10th February when we flew out from a wintery Heathrow airport. Our journey time to Singapore was 13 hours. I really don't enjoy flying these days, and felt that this length of flight is my absolute limit.

But time passed, and we landed slightly later than scheduled at approximately 16.30hrs the next afternoon (11th Feb)

We collected our luggage and much to my relief it had all arrived with us. I'm not a frequent flyer, but we've had missing luggage twice before, so this is another aspect of the flying experience that makes me rather anxious.

We stepped through to the arrivals hall, and immediately we saw the P & O sign. The organisation was very good in respect of transfers. There were a lot of P & O passengers on our flight and we were efficiently marshalled on to our coaches and transferred to our overnight hotel, the Crowne Plaza, Changi Airport.

The check in process at the hotel was very efficient as well. Instead of lining up at reception we had our own dedicated area, and our room keys were handed over

I was pleased with the hotel. It was modern, and the rooms were well appointed. The bathroom had a massive tub and a high power shower, along with Orla Kiely toiletries.

We called room service for something to eat, had a shower, and then fell into a deep sleep for a few hours. But at about 1am we were wide awake, so read our books for a while before dozing off again.

After breakfast, we had a wait of a couple of hours before being transferring to the ship.

This was also handled very well. Our cases were taken to the ship, and would be delivered to our rooms, and we all boarded our previously allocated coaches for the 25 minute drive to the cruise terminal.

Aurora was docked at the Marina Bay cruise terminal. This is a large terminal, but there were plenty local agency staff, to direct us to our waiting area, then each coach load were called to the check in desk.

We finally boarded Aurora at around 1pm. We found our cabin, and went to lunch in the Horizon. When we returned back to the cabin, we unpacked our hand luggage, then the cases arrived so we unpacked them.

It was about 4pm by the time felt we felt we felt 'sorted'. I have to admit I felt exhausted by this time.

So, we had a reviving shower, and an early meal in the Medina. We are on freedom dining this time.

We decided to see the show in the Curzon as it was a local dance group, so thought we'd take the opportunity to see a bit of local entertainment.

But after that, it was another early night. Again, I fell immediately into a deep sleep, only to wake up a few hours later and only dozed after that.

The following morning we had booked a tour to see something of Singapore. I chose this particular tour as it included a visit to the Merlion Park to see the large Merlion statue, which I always think of as the main feature of Singapore. Just my luck, it had scaffolding over it, as it's being refurbished! In retrospect, I wish we'd done the Gardens by the Bay tour.

Upon return to the shop we had to hand in our passports, as the Singapore authorities require sight of all passports before we leave. This was clearly announced in that day's Horizon.

Of course there's always a few who miss these sorts of instructions, and, as sailing time approached, messages were given over the PA system, asking for the stragglers to hand in their passports.

Incredibly, we were an hour late in sailing, because two people didn't hand in their passports, in spite of numerous requests. The captain didn't sound very impressed!

After dinner in the buffet, we saw the first Headliners show. It's one of the new shows, The New Romantics, full of 80's songs, and I thought it was great. I wasn't alone, it was very well received.

After that, another early night. The last few days have been intense, and I'm looking forward to a sea day tomorrow, for some relaxation.

I think this cruise will be very different to a 'normal' cruise. The standard question is not 'how many cruises have you done'. Instead, it's 'where did you get on' and 'where do you get off'. About 900 new people boarded in Singapore.

Many Australians joined us in Singapore, and they will be disembarking at their various Australian home ports. It's nice to have a more international passenger profile.
Gill

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Re: Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

#2

Post by GillD46 »

I have been longing for you to get back - sorry, I wasn't wishing your trip away really - but longing to hear all about it.

I love Singapore and am really sorry you didn't see the Gardens by the Bay which are spectacular. I'm sure you would have seen the "trees" from the ship when in the Marina Terminal though.

Hope you are now over the jet-lag. Looking forward to the next posting.
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Re: Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

#3

Post by Gill W »

Hi, Gill.

Yes, the Gardens by the Bay were tantilisingly close, but what with lack of time and tiredness, we just couldn't get there. Maybe next time!

I will post more tomorrow. My iPad seems to have become unwilling to paste onto the forum, so I've emailed some reports to myself, and I'll post when I'm on my laptop tomorrow
Last edited by Gill W on 05 Apr 2017, 18:02, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

#4

Post by qbman1 »

Oh, goody - more worldie new to read. Thanks a lot Gill

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Re: Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

#5

Post by oldbluefox »

Worldies always make a good read. Thanks to those who take the trouble to post.

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Re: Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

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Day 3 - 14th February

At sea

Overnight, we crossed the equator, to the Southern Hemisphere. Yes, the water does go down the sink anti-clockwise.

This was the relaxing sea day that was needed. The morning was very wet (we're visiting in the monsoon season), so we went to the port talk on Bali. Our port presenter is Krystal. She was on our Oriana cruise last year, and her presentations are not just sales pitches. Bali is a tender port, and the journey time from ship to shore is approx 1 hour each way. We're also doing a full day excursion at Bali, so I'm anticipating a tiring day.

After lunch, we watched the Crossing The Line Ceremony, to seek Neptune's permission for crossing the equator. This was a fun event, with Pirates v Aurora officers pool games. It was our first time crossing the equator, but we declined the opportunity to 'kiss the fish'.

It was the first formal night, and captain's welcome aboard reception. We were placed on the 8pm reception in the Crow's Nest. As we like to eat early, we went to dinner first, and then went along to the reception. Our captain is Wesley Dunlop, who is new to P&O. After that we saw a group called 'Ukebox', a group of 5 young men who play the ukelele. We haven't seen them before, and thought it was a good show.

On the very first night, we saw a man being turned away from the MDR because he was wearing shorts. This evening he was turned away because he wasn't wearing a jacket. In the theatre, I noticed quite a significant amount of people not in their formal attire, some still in their shorts I'm guessing they were Australians, instead of P&O regulars. But, each to their own, it doesn't affect my enjoyment of the 'anticipated ambience'!
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Re: Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

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Day 4

15th February

Semarang, Indonesia

This port is a city on the Indonesian island of Java. We were due to dock at around 5.30am, but, as the captain said, this information was issued with a caveat. The approach to Semarang is narrow and shallow, so, if the conditions were less than optimum, there may be a delay. Sure enough the wind was too high on approach, so docking was delayed by 3 hours.

There were a lot of tours going today, including two 9 hour excursions to Borobudor. There was a long wait in the theatre, while they were rigging the gangway, which was very steep, so they had to make it as safe as possible.

Eventually they started letting people go, but it was slow going, and there were the obligatory queues on the stairs.

As we are doing a full day tour in Bali, we opted for a shorter Highlights of Semarang tour. It was one of those so-so tours, but Semarang isn't really a DIY port, so we got a chance to see some of the area. It involved a lot of paddy fields, temples and a church. Our guide wasn't very good, but I enjoyed the Balinese rice cake at the refreshment stop. By the time we got back it was nearly 3pm, so it was a good opportunity to have sandwiches and cakes - if we have lunch, we try not to do afternoon tea.

We were late sailing, as the Borobudor tours were late back. I think it was weather related, as it's been pouring since late afternoon . We finally sailed at about 7.45pm

Neither of the shows in the Curzon or Carmens appealed, and we have seen the film in the Playhouse before, so we just had a couple of drinks in the Crows Nest after dinner.
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Re: Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

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Day 5

16th February

At sea.

Today we're sailing the Java Sea, en route to Bali. We've been sitting out on deck, or relaxing in our cabin, getting stuck into the several books on our Kindles.

In Singapore we were 8+ hours GMT. We went back to 7+ hours GMT for Semarang, and noon today reverted to 8+ for Bali. I think we'll stay on this time zone all the way down to Fremantle.

I've purchased a Kipling bag. It's ideal for taking ashore, so I'll get good use out of it this cruise.

We are on freedom dining for this cruise. I have a low salt diet to help with Meniere's Disease. When I came back from my last cruise, I cancelled the special diet requirement for this cruise, for two reasons. Firstly, I grew to dislike the feeling that I could no longer be spontaneous. I ordered my food the previous night, and felt committed to turn up the next night. Secondly, I had begun to find the whole special diet experience to be hard work. They tend to serve all meals with boiled potatoes and broccoli, instead of the vegetables that are on the menu. So I had to keep emphasising that I would like what was on the menu, with varying results - I was never quite sure what was going to end up on my plate!

Therefore I am managing my diet myself, and have so far found this quite easy.

I have breakfast in the buffet, and there is a good array of items to choose from.

I have lunch in either the buffet or the Lido Grill. Typically a salad or jacket potato.

I have dinner in the main dining room or the buffet. We have the new menus in the MDR, which makes my dietary management much easier. The starters are a bit of a problem, but I'll either opt for a salad, or go without. For the main course I can choose from the always available steak, chicken, or salmon. There is also something 'from the grill' each evening, which gives me an additional selection.

I know it sounds a bit limited, but I'd much rather go on this route, instead of be given boiled spuds and broccoli for the next 6 weeks!

If I go to the buffet for dinner I will have a salad. A couple of nights ago it was British night, so I had fish and chips, which is always a good standby meal for me.

The good thing is, I can have any dessert I want. There is now a Sundae on the menu each night and these are particularly delicious.

I will probably be alcohol free for most of the cruise. Meniere's causes vertigo and dizziness. I had my first vertigo attack in 2 and a half years, 4 days before I left for this holiday. I'm hoping this is an isolated incident, but need to make sure I keep a clear head.


EDIT (6/4/17)

I thought I'd just add to the comments about diet and health. When I wrote these comments on 16th February, I was still a bit worried that'd I'd have more vertigo, as attacks can be in clusters. I'm pleased to say, my ear continued to feel better, my tinnitus subsided and my hearing improved, and I'm now completely back to normal. As a result, as the cruise went on, I was able to relax on the diet front, and enjoyed lots of lovely dishes in all of the venues on board. I also had a glass of wine each night with dinner. Fortunately, everything turned out well in the end.
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Re: Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

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Post by GillD46 »

I'm glad you remained vertigo free while away and that it enabled you to have a degree of freedom regarding your diet.
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Re: Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

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Post by gilly88 »

looking forward to reading more of you reports gill.
regards gilly.

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Re: Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

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Day 6

17th February

Bali

This morning, we dropped anchor at around 5.30am, off the Balinese port of Benoa.

Today we had booked an all day tour, with an early start. We had to meet in the Curzon at 7.30am, for the 40 minute tender ride to the port. Fortunately the sea conditions were very calm, and apart from one 'pothole' due to the wake of another boat, it was a smooth crossing.

Our tour took us the village of Tenganen, home to the indigenous people of Bali. (OK).

Then on to a buffet lunch in an idyllic waterfront spot at a posh hotel (very good)

Our last stop was the Water Palace, set in beautiful gardens. We also had coffee and cakes here. (Excellent, really enjoyed this part of the tour) In fact, the passengers rebelled at this stop. We were originally told we had just 30 minutes here, which was no time at all. People started complaining, and the stop was extended to an hour, which was much better.

We got back to the ship at about 5pm. Our tender ride back was slightly more choppy, and we had to have three attempts at tying the tender to the pontoon before we could disembark.

In Indonesia, the most common form of transport is either a moped or small motorcycle. It's quite scary, as many people drive them with out crash helmets or other protective clothing. It's also common to see mum, dad and small child on the moped. Traffic is chaotic at times, so I wonder how many accidents there are.

Once again some tours were late back, so sailing was delayed to 7pm. Bali is a more prosperous looking island than Java. But there is still evident poverty. I enjoyed our day here, but once you move away from the posh seafront resorts, it's not an island paradise for the locals.

Our entertainment this evening was Anthony Laye, an Australian mind reader. I like these novelty acts - but I'm sure I've seen a stunt he does with a loaded nail gun somewhere else.

We now have 3 sea days down to Fremantle.

PS - I was told that the amount of passengers on the full world cruise is about 350, which I felt was smaller than I expected.
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Re: Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

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Day 7 - 9

18th - 20th February

At sea - cruising the eastern Indian Ocean.

I'm writing this on the third of three sea days, en route to our next port, Fremantle, in Western Australia. I finally feel as if I've relaxed into the rhythm of shipboard life after a hectic start to the cruise.

The weather has been generally good. We started these three days hot, sunny and humid, changing to sunny and windy, with today being windy and cloudy at times. But we have been able to sit out on deck each day.

Internet access ashore has been variable, so I treated myself to a 24 hour Internet package. I opted for the full browsing package, for £12.50 for the 24 hour period. Internet speed was very good. I will probably do this once a week.

I've dipped in and out of the onboard talks and lectures. We have an ex P&O captain, Martin Reed, who talked about Canberra in the Falklands. We also have Martin Roberts from Homes Under The Hammer. Plus Clive Catchpole who speaks about the animal world and Jane Robinson who has been speaking about intrepid women in history. So there's something for all tastes.

Our Cruise Director is Michael Mullane. This is the first time we've had him, and apart from reminding me of Keith Chegwin, he seems to be one of the better CD's.

Evening entertainment has been been variable. We saw the second show by the Australian mind reader, Anthony Laye, which, again, was very good. I think he does it by reading body language, but he is uncannily accurate. I'd love to learn more about how it's done.

We've also had a singer called Stevie B, who sang 50's and 60's Rock'n'roll and pop. He was ok, but I think he tried to hard with his patter. Would have been better if he'd just stuck to singing!

There's also been a singer called Helen Ward - Jackson, who did her own show and an Adele tribute show. I didn't see either, as female singers are my least favourite entertainment option.

We've been presented with another new Headliners show called 'Stop in the Name of Love', a Motown based show. It is good that they are finally overhauling the shows, as some have been around for a long time.

We've also had the tropical deck party, and we also have Caravan, who I know are very popular.

We were invited to the Caribbean lunch which has been held today. On this occasion we declined the invitation. Partly because I thought I might not be able to find anything suitable for me from a short menu, and mostly because it's lost it's novelty value now. There will be another one on the next leg, so we'll see how we feel then about attending.

Generally this is a relaxed, happy cruise. The queue for freedom dining isn't winding its way round reception at 5.30pm. There's no issues about sun beds being reserved by towels. If you go to the buffet, there's always spare tables. It's just nice and laid back.

Once we get to Australia, passengers will be leaving at each port, and new people will join, so it'll be interesting to see if the new mix of passengers affects the general shipboard 'vibe'

PS on the middle sea day we saw a large pod of dolphins, swimming on both port and starboard sides of the ship. That evening, we were treated to an amazing natural light show - massive amounts of lightning in the distance, flashing almost constantly, with forked lightning down to the sea.
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Day 10

21st February

Fremantle, Australia.

Today we stepped foot on Australian soil for the first time, a fulfilment of a lifetimes ambition.

The day dawned cloudy and somewhat blustery, and didn't look too promising. However, by mid morning the sun came out, and although it was still windy, the temperature was pleasantly warm.

We decided to do a tour called Essence of Western Australia. Our first stop was in Kings Park, Perth, where we could take panoramic photos of the Perth skyline and the Swan River, and viewed the Eternal Flame war memorial.

We then headed to the Swan Valley, to visit the Sandalford Winery for a wine tasting. There were 2 women at the front who had no intention of moving, so everybody was trying to reach over them to get at the wine. I think these women had decided they were going to get their money's worth, and didn't have a thought for anyone else!

There was also free wi-fi, so everyone had whipped their phones and iPads out, including us, although neither of us could get our emails to load.

Next, it was on to our lunch stop, which was very good. I had Moroccan chicken, which I think was the best option available to me. There was also free wi-fi at the restaurant, and this time we were able to access our emails. I think I preferred it when emails stayed at home, and you weren't able to access them when you were on the move. I know I don't HAVE to look at my emails, but I feel compelled too if there's a chance to do so.

We than drove back to downtown Perth for our boat trip on the Swan River, back to Fremantle. I really enjoyed this part of the excursion. We sailed past Aurora's berth, and took some good photos of the ship.

After that, we had a short tour of Fremantle, and then back to the ship at about 4.30pm. All in all, a very enjoyable day out.

Just as we arrived back, the new passengers joining us today were being called to their muster stations. I know that 254 people left today, so I expect a similar amount are joining us

It's a late sailing at 10pm this evening, so we've booked the Beach House for dinner, so we can enjoy views of Fremantle as we dine.

Unfortunately, the weather wasn't as balmy we hoped, and I had to go back to the cabin to get my fleece, but we still had a good meal in the Beach House. I had baked mushroom Alfredo and the burger, and my husband had salt beef hash and marinated salmon. We both had Key Lime cheesecake sundae for desert. The cover charge for Beach House is now £7.50 per head, which is still good value.

The Beach House was very quiet, with only 5 tables in use. I've also noticed that the Glass House is always quiet, as is Sindhu. The Glass House is out on a limb at the back of deck 8, and the air conditioning is always fierce at that end of the ship, so it's not a welcoming area. But I'm not sure why Sindhu doesn't seem popular.
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Re: Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

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Your comments about transportation in Indonesia made me smile. I'm assuming your cruise missed Vietnam - there, whole families of as many as six or even more, squash onto a moped, along with the family pets and often cargo as well. We have seen washing machines, 'fridges, even doors being transported along with the whole family.

Our son lived in Saigon for over five years - and also drove a moped - he said there were over SEVEN MILLION mopeds in the city and I swear they were all out and about each and every time we ventured out!
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Re: Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

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It certainly was an eye opener to see how people travel. Often mum and dad had crash helmets but not the children. I suppose they are used to it, but for the visitor it's a bit alarming!
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Day 11 - 13

22nd February - 24th February

3 days at sea.


We have been sailing from Perth to Adelaide for the last three days. The clocks were put forward by 1 hour on the first and second days, and by 30 minutes on the third day, so we are now at GMT +10.5 hrs. The time change is done at noon, so it means the day goes really quickly. Also, I've found it increasingly difficult to get up in the mornings.

The sun has barely put in an appearance over the last three days. The weather is cloudy, sometimes rather windy, and, in order to walk outside, a fleece or cardigan is advisable. On the plus side, no rain.

Our cabin is on D deck, on port side, behind the 'secret door' that leads from Raffles. This is a very quiet location, as the only people that pass our door are our neighbours. We don't seem to get any 'passing traffic', due to our behind the door location. We have an outside cabin. I don't really miss the balcony. We are only one cabin up from the prom deck, so it's very easy to nip down if we feel the need for air.

This is the first time we have been on Aurora since the refit. They've done well with the buffet, now renamed the Horizon. The serving area is very large, so people can manoeuvre around without bumping into each other. There are many tables for two, and it's always been easy to find an empty table. I also like the refurbished Lido Grill (previously Sidewalk Grill, I think). There is a Grab and Go located here, plus burgers and hot dogs, chips, jacket potatoes and salads. There are lots of tables around the Crystal Pool for alfresco eating. Bar service is also excellent in this area.

The Medina Restaurant for freedom dining now has a lot of tables for two. Also, I've noticed that they seat 2 people at a table for 4, if the tables for 2 have run out. The traditional large table dining experience seems to be on its way out.

We alternate between the Medina and the buffet for our evening meal, and I'm pleased to say I've been able to manage my dietary requirement very well.

We have a new batch of speakers with us. There's Dickie Arbiter, who was a press officer at Buckingham Palace. There's Gloria Barnett, who is a marine biologist. Plus, maritime historian, Chris Frame. Again, a good mix for various interests.

Evening entertainment - Last night we saw a comedian from Northern Ireland called William Caulfield. I'm quite difficult to please when it comes to comedians, but this guy made me laugh quite a lot. The other cabaret act currently on board is Ali Harper, a 'diva' singer. As I've already said, generally female singers aren't my 'thing' so we gave her a miss, and went to the cinema instead. I do like the fact that Aurora has a good cinema. A couple of nights ago we saw 'Florence Foster Jenkins' and this evening we'll go and see 'Golden Years' about a retired couple forced into a life of crime!

For some reason, Headliners have done afternoon shows at 4pm. Not sure why this is. They are the older shows in Carmens, like the Abba show and the Queen show


In spite of the lack of sun, we are really enjoying these sea days. What with our Kindles, puzzle books and iPad games, and a few talks/lectures, the days race past.

The passing of time is noted at the traditional noon bells and announcement, and the Captain likes to make an up date announcement at 6pm. (Or at sailing time on a port day). Captain Wesley Dunlop only joined P&O last year. His announcements are very informative, and he has a precise delivery which is very easy on the ear.


This evening we saw an interesting little performance in the atrium. A passenger was playing the mouth organ, accompanied by one of the ship's pianists. His rendition of Waltzing Matilda went down particularly well.
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Re: Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

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Day 14

Adelaide

25th February

We docked in the Outer Harbour of Adelaide at around 8am this morning. This berth is a long way from the city centre of Adelaide - it's not even in Port Adelaide.

There is a shuttle into the city centre, but it's up to 60 minutes each way, which is quite a long journey. When we were researching this cruise, we decided we didn't always want to just spend time in the cities, on occasion we wanted to see the surrounding areas too. Due to the distance from port to city, we opted to do an excursion at this port, called Historic Hahndorf and the Adelaide Hills.

We drove through the city there and back, so we got an overview of the city. Our first stop was at Mount Lofty, where we observed panoramic views of Adelaide and the surrounding area. Fortunately, today is sunny and clear, so we had some fantastic views.

Then we drove on to Hahndorf. This town was founded in 1839 by the original German settlers, or I should say the original Prussian migrants, as Germany wasn't in existence at the time.

Today the old houses are strung along Main Street, and house art galleries, antique shops, cafes and restaurants. We had two hours here, and it was a very pleasant way to spend a warm Saturday morning. We had coffee and a scrumptious vanilla slice at the German Cake Shop.

Some people were dropped off in the city on the way back, but we opted to go back to the ship and enjoyed a couple of hours sitting out on deck in the warm sunshine.

140 people left the ship today, and we have about 100 new passengers joining us today. The newbies were exercised in the emergency procedures in the Curzon Theatre, instead of their allocated muster station.

Our evening entertainment was a local brass band, the Tanuda Town Band, from the Barossa Valley. This was a light hearted show, including some Oom Pah music, reflecting the area's German heritage. Then it was a quick dash to the other end, for the Headliners Abba show. We've seen this many times before, but Abba never gets old.

All in all, one of those varied days that you can only get on a cruise.

Our sailing time this evening is 10.30pm
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Re: Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

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Day 15

26th February

Kangaroo Island

It was literally a short overnight hop from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island.

Kangaroo Island is the third largest Island off the Australian mainland. (The largest is Tasmania, followed by Melville Island off the Northern Territories.

We were anchored in the bay, and it was a 10-15 minute tender ride over to Penneshaw, the second largest town on the island. Approximately 4000 people live on the island, so town was overstating it, more of a village really.

Public transport is almost non existent around the island. It is possible to hire a car, but the only really feasible way to see a lot of the island was to book a ship tour so that is what we did.

Our driver/guide was originally a farmer from Adelaide, but his wife is a Kangaroo Island native, and their son is the seventh generation of the family to be born on Kangaroo Island.

This was a simply brilliant full day outing. It's a relatively large island, but very sparsely populated. The main roads are good, and there's barely any traffic. For long periods of time, it seemed as if we were the only people on the roads. When we turned off the main roads, the road surface was either ironstone or limestone, and rather bumpy. Our guide said that the ironstone roads were reminiscent of bush roads in central Australia.

As we drove there was always something interesting to see, such as kangaroos in the wild, eagles hovering, termite mounds and the various flora and fauna such as the 'yacca' trees. I think that's how to spell it!

The places we called at were stunningly beautiful, such as the Remarkable Rocks, Admirals Arch, Vivonne Bay, Pennington Bay, and Seal Bay, were we got up close to the basking sea lions. We were lucky with the weather too, sunny and blue skies and comfortably warm without being too hot.

We had a lunch stop in a restaurant in the back of beyond, a choice of cray fish salad or chicken salad, citrus tart, wine and coffee. All delicious and beautifully presented.

We arrived back at the ship at about 6.30pm, so it was a long day, but one not to be missed. If anybody gets a chance to visit, I can thoroughly recommend this destination.

After a quick wash and brush up and a light dinner in the buffet, it was on to the Curzon Theatre, to see Roy Locke. He is an Australian singer who has had leading roles in shows like Phantom and Les Miz. He sang a selection of songs from West End shows, which is the sort of thing I really enjoy, so I rated this show highly.

After that, bed, as we were tired from our long, but fab, day
Gill

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Re: Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

#19

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It sounds a great few days.
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Re: Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

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Day 16

27th February

At sea

Well, that's not bad, 16 days on board and our first hiccup.

The loo in our cabin has always had a rather weak 'suck', but it gave up the ghost completely this morning. We reported it to reception and told our cabin steward (Stenly, who is very sweet). It took them a couple of hours to send someone to sort it out, but now it 'sucks' ferociously!

Today dawned foggy, but the sun burnt off the fog and by mid morning it was very sunny, and comfortably warm. So we sat out on deck for a while, then had lunch.

I've purchased another 24 hour Internet plan. I've resolved to give up trying in port. Even if we get online in port, half the time our emails won't load, probably because AOL is a law unto itself.

At noon today, the shops clocks were put forward by a further 30minutes, so we are now at GMT+11

Today has been a MacMillan fundraising day. There was a Walkathon around the prom deck, 44 laps around the prom deck which equals 13.1 miles, the distance of a half marathon. Just over £2500 has been raised.

Our entertainment this evening was Worbey & Farrell, a piano duo from the UK. I thought they were good on the piano playing bits, but the patter and banter was a bit tedious. I wish the acts would just stick to what they are good at!

Then we went up the other end of the ship, for Headliners doing Destination Dance. Each cruise, I think to myself that I might not bother to see Headliners, yet each cruise I see most of their shows.

Another sea day has passed quickly. We didn't really do much, but the time flew past.
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Re: Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

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Day 17

28th February

Melbourne

Today has been hot and sunny, with barely a cloud in the sky. The temperature has climbed to at least 30C

Although Melbourne is appealing to us as a city, we wanted to have an opportunity to see wildlife, so we had booked a tour called Kangaroos and Koalas in the wild.

We were driven across the Westgate Bridge to our first stop, the Serendip Sanctuary, to seek out kangaroos, which we found in the grasslands. We couldn't get too close to them as they are wild animals, but got close enough to get some great photos, and it was interesting to see them hopping around.

After a coffee stop, we went on to the You Yang Ranges National Park, to look for koalas. A ranger had already located some for us, and we managed to see two, sitting in eucalyptus trees. They don't move around much, and sit 'tree hugging'.

Apart from the kangaroos and koalas, we saw cockatoos, a kookaburra and a wallaby.

It was very hot. At one point, on the grasslands when we were looking for the kangaroos, an elderly gentlemen came over faint, and had to be helped back to the coach.

We arrived back at the ship at about 1.30pm, just at the time when the new arrivals were checking in. There was only one security scanner ( the one on the ship), so, instead of having us queue outside, standing in the heat, we had to wait in the terminal, sitting down. It was a 10 minute wait, but more comfortable than standing around.

I'm not sure how many have boarded today, but I certainly noticed more leavers this morning than I did in Perth or Adelaide, so I think the turnaround is quite large.

Melbourne itself is a 15 minute ride on the shuttle bus from the port. We were thinking about going into the city this afternoon but as it was so hot decided against it. It's tantalising seeing the high rise buildings from the ship, but we found out a long time ago that it's not possible to do absolutely everything.

There is a late afternoon folkloric show, featuring the Yarra Yarra Dancers performing aboriginal songs and dances, although we gave that one a miss.

Our evening entertainment was Bite Sized Circus, an Australian duo who did juggling, tightrope walking, hula hooping and plate spinning. They weren't particularly polished, and some of the acts didn't go right first time, but they got there in the end. Their patter was a bit cringe as well..... But I think I've said that about a few of the acts.

60's and 70's party on deck this evening, just right for this nice warm night.
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Re: Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

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Day 18

1st March

At sea

Just a few notes from this sea day.

Weather - foggy to start off with, then sunny and warm by mid morning, although a bit breezy

I've been told by somebody who spoke to the cruise director, last nights Bite Sized Circus won't be asked back. I feel a bit sorry for them - they weren't THAT bad. Apparently, these acts aren't auditioned, P&O found them on the Internet, and engaged them, without seeing them perform!

Today was the last formal night of this leg of the cruise, and black and white night. It was also the Peninsular cocktail party

What I have learned - Aussie's don't really do formal nights, and B&W night wasn't a big thing either. The only ones wearing black and white were in the cocktail party.

The captain said that 1727 Peninsular Club members were on this cruise. Obviously not all at the same time. On a typical long cruise from Southampton it seems everyone is Caribbean or above. It's not the case at all on this cruise.

Anyway, it's Sydney tomorrow, and we will be busy, busy, busy. So getting an early night tonight.
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Re: Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

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Day 19 - 20

March 2nd - 3rd

Sydney

It had always been my dream to visit Sydney, and it was our main reason to book this cruise

I'm pleased to say, these two days have been brilliant, everything that I dreamed of.

Our first day was at anchor. Queen Mary II was berthed at the Overseas Passenger Terminal, so we had to tender in.

On the first day, we decided to do a couple of tours. We tendered ashore, wide eyed at the Opera House, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The sights we'd seen a thousand times on TV, and now we were HERE. It's moments like that when you have to pinch yourself - it's real and it's now!

The tenders were docking at the Man'o'War steps, situated between the Opera House and the Botanical Gardens, so it was a very convenient location.

Our first tour was 'Sydney Sights, Opera House, and Bondi'. Our coach was about a ten minute walk away.

Our first stop was at Mrs Macquarie's Chair in the Botanical Gardens. As we were walking along, there was a bit of a kerfuffle when a brush tailed possum ran right through our group. According to our tour guide, this is a nocturnal animal. He said it must have been very startled to have run through a group of people in the daytime. It actually ran over my foot!

We drove out to Bondi Beach, through various areas, such as Wooloomooloo, Rose Bay (where the sea planes land and take off) and Dover Heights.

We had about 35 minutes at Bondi Beach, enough time to have a coffee and look around. Then we drove back to the city, seeing various neighbourhoods such as Paddington and Kings Cross.

While we were on the coach, there was a very heavy rain shower. But apart from that, the day was sunny and hot.

We then went to the Opera House, for our guided tour, which was excellent. I hadn't realised before, but the Opera House complex is made up of several different auditoriums. We viewed the Joan Sutherland Auditorium, which is mainly for opera. Indeed, some of Aurora's passengers were going to that evenings performance of La Traviata. We also saw the larger auditorium which is mainly used for music. They were preparing for that evenings performance, which was out of the ordinary for them. A drag performer called Trevor Ashley was going to be 'channeling' Shirley Bassey, for an 80th Birthday tribute to Dame Shirley. The show is called 'Diamonds are for Trevor'!

In both auditoriums every seat would get an excellent view of the show. They will be upgrading the acoustics in the next few years, to ensure they remain a world leading venue.

It was quite a thrill to look round this iconic building. The tour was well worth while.

This was the end of the tour, at about 1.30pm. Our next excursion was booked for 4pm, so we thought there wasn't much point in going back to the ship, so we had lunch at the Opera Kitchen. As it was sunny, we sat outside. This may have been the most expensive sandwich and coffee we've ever had, but what a view. Right at the water line, looking at QM2 and the Harbour Bridge.

After lunch we had a walk in the Botanical Gardens. This is a very beautiful area, and I took a lot of photos of all the birds. I'm very pleased with the photos I took of the brightly coloured parakeets.

At 4pm, it was time to gather for our next outing - Taronga Zoo Sunset Walk. As a coincidence, it was the same guide and driver we had in the morning.

I now know it would have been easy enough to go to the zoo by ferry. But I don't regret the tour, as the zoo was closed to the general public, so it was just our tour party. Therefore it was easy to take photos, as we didn't have to contend with all the other tourists.

We viewed the Australian animals section of the zoo, and saw kangaroos, wallabies, emus, koalas, tree kangaroos, echidnas, quokka, cassowaries, and various other birds in the aviaries.

After that, it was back to the tender point for the ride back to the ship. They were using a local boat for the tender, so it was possible to sit outside. By this time it was about 8pm and dusk was falling, so we got some amazing photos of the harbour area, and some good shots of Aurora.

We were fairly tired by this time, so we just went up to the buffet for dinner, and went to bed fairly early.

At midnight, QM2 sailed, so we moved into the Overseas Passenger Terminal. Therefore we were in the prime position, with the amazing view of the bridge on one side and the Opera House on the other side.

On the second Sydney day, we had decided to do our own thing.

The weather, unfortunately, was not so good. The day dawned rather cloudy, and there were heavy showers first thing, which delayed us leaving the ship until 9.30am. For a while, it was bright and sunny, but we were armed with umbrellas and rain jackets, just in case.

First we walked round Circular Quay, so we could take photos of Aurora. Then we walked to The Rocks, and took the pathway under the bridge. We carried on walking with the intention of walking to Darling Harbour. We noticed a small turning, which looked interesting, and it took us to a waterfront residential area, with some converted old building, and some new buildings. It must have been expensive, as the residents had their boats parked at the front of their apartments/houses. There were also some nice looking coffees shops and restaurants.

We continued walking, and came to a waterside pathway with looked as if it was fairly recent. This seems to be an area called Barangaroo, which is under development. We had hoped to walk all the way to Darling Harbour along this pathway, but three quarters of the way it was fenced off, due to building works. In a few years time, I think it'll be possible to walk the whole way to Darling Harbour.

We considered finding another way to Darling Harbour, but the clouds were looking menacing, so we decided to turn back. Just as well we did, as the heavens opened. So we stopped in one of the coffee shops we had seen. It was very nice, more of a local place than a tourist place. After a bit, the rain stopped, but started up again as we got back to the Rocks. We walked for a while in George Street, but the rain was coming down even more, so, reluctantly we decided to go back to the ship.

We had lunch, and the rain contained on and off for most of the afternoon, so we didn't go out again.

But we saw a lot during our two days in Sydney, and I am delighted to have finally visited one of my dream destinations.

It was a big turnaround day today. About 900 leaving and the same amount joining. At 4.30pm, there was the general emergency muster for all passengers, not just the newbies.

We were due to sail at 6.30pm. It was originally billed as a party Sailaway, but the wet weather meant that the deck was too wet for the Ents team to dance, so they played music instead. But sailing was very delayed, due to 'admin relating to immigration matters'. Then it poured down again, so everyone disappeared inside, so it wasn't the Sailaway that we all hoped for. I think we eventually sailed at around 9pm.

But, overall, 2 great days.

PS our evening entertainment was another new Headliners show called Fantasy, with a theme of 70's disco music. The Village People tribute brought the house down!
Gill

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Re: Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

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Day 21 - 23

4th March - 6th March

At sea and scenic cruising Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound and Dusky Sound

After the great excitement of Sydney, I have to admit that these three days at sea have been rather flat for me.

The thing I like most about sea days is the chance to sit in the sun with my Kindle.

Unfortunately, the sun hasn't put in an appearance. It's been the sort of sea days where people hang around in Raffles and there's not a seat to be found.

My feeling of general gloom hasn't been helped by the fact that the evening entertainment hasn't been entirely to my taste.

We've had yet another female singer, Alana Conway. There's been an Australian impressionist, Danny McMaster. I didn't fancy his show either, as the act was going to be started by one of the Entertainment Officers singing three songs. I couldn't help wondering why the impressionist couldn't fill the 45 minutes by himself, so decided to give that a miss. Then we had The Idea of North, an Australian a Capella group singing songs by Australian songwriters. This didn't appeal much either. Our other evening entertainment standby, the cinema, was a no go as well, as we've already seen the films.

So on the first of the three sea days, we had dinner in the Glass House, as Caravan were playing there. This was every enjoyable, although there were only a few of us in the crowd. It's such a shame the Glass House seems so unpopular.

The second of the three sea days was the first formal night of this leg. We had dinner in the MDR (beef Wellington, yummy), but didn't fancy another captain's welcome reception or the a Cappella group, so we just retreated to our cabin, put on our casual clothes again, and put our feet up.

Not sure what we are doing this evening. We'll probably go to the MDR for dinner, as it's a special Pacific Rim dinner. ( They did a taste of Asia menu on the last sector). Apart from musicians in the bars the only real entertainment option this evening is Toa, a Maori 'cultural' performing group. At this point, I'm not sure I fancy this either. Can anyone send over Manuel Martinez?

Our speakers are Nick Bailey from Classic FM, Brad Hammi, speaker about indigenous people's views of New Zealand, Judson Croft who speaks about the Pacific Ocean, and Christine Noble, who is speaking about her time as a P&O cruise director. I've been to both of Christine's talks, which I found to be interesting.

Today is our scenic cruising day. I'm writing this on the morning of the third sea day, and we've already sailed down Milford Sound. It was very beautiful..... But the cloud was very low and it was raining. I hope the weather picks up a bit for the other two Sounds we will visit today.

The clock has gone forward by another two hours to GMT+13. I think the constant loss of hours isn't helping my mood, as I'm very tired each morning. It must be awful for those who have to work!

PS.

The weather didn't really pick up that much for the remainder of our scenic cruising. These New Zealand fjords are a match for Norway and are in a very remote part of the country. There's barely a sign of human habitation. But with a bit of blue sky and sun, it would have been sensational.

We did end up at the MDR for the Pacific themed dinner. We both had Huli Huli chicken from Hawaii, which was delicious. I had a sweet potato cheesecake for dessert, which sounds odd, but tasted good.

We went to the Maori show, which, after all, I thought was good. The performers were very likeable.

We now have three port days in succession which should pick my mood up.
Gill

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Re: Aurora - February - March 2017 - Two legs of a world cruise

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Day 24

7th March

Dunedin

Today we stepped on to New Zealand soil for the first time. I'm pleased to say the weather was mostly sunny, with just a short shower. However, it wasn't exactly warm, around 12C, with a brisk wind

We docked at around 9am in the harbour area of Port Chalmers. We are berthed alongside Dawn Princess, who is doing more or less the same itinerary as us. Indeed we were sailing alongside her a couple of days ago, and following her along the fjords yesterday.

We opted to do a tour in Dunedin. The journey time from Port Chalmers to Dunedin was around 15-20 minutes, along a road following the pretty bay.

Dunedin is mostly Victorian - a law was passed saying that the old buildings couldn't be pulled down. So the old facades remain, but the buildings have been remodelled and repurposed behind the facades. However, before this law was passed, many old buildings were knocked down and modern buildings put in their place. So it's a mixture of new and old. It's pleasing on the eye, but not the most picturesque of cities. It is very hilly, and they claim Baldwin Street is the steepest street in the world. We passed this street, and it is certainly very steep.

We also saw the Dunedin Train Station, said to be the most photographed building in New Zealand. We also had a short stop at The Octagon, to view St Pauls Cathedral and the Robbie Burns statue. Then it was on to Olveston House, built by a wealthy merchant in the early 20th Century. It was a bit like a visit to a National Trust House - which I like doing. Then there was a stop at the Botanical Gardens, which were attractively laid out. We had half an hour here but could easily have spent much longer. We arrived back at the ship at around 2.45pm, and saw quite a bit of the city in a relatively short space of time.

We have to carry photo ID while in New Zealand. It makes this very clear in the Horizon. On return to the dock area, port officials boarded our bus, wanting to see our cruise cards and photo ID, and, of course there's always somebody who's not read the Horizon, and didn't have ID. The port official had to get the passenger manifest, to confirm she was listed, so there was a bit of a delay.

In New Zealand (and Australia), we are not allowed to carry any food, flowers, seeds, plants etc ashore. It's been quite normal for disembarking passengers to be inspected by enthusiastic sniffer dogs, who seem to enjoy their work.

The entertainment this evening was against bit odd. The only major entertainment in the Curzon was Caravan presenting the music of the Eagles. I enjoyed listening to Caravan the other evening in The Glass House as a background to dinner, but didn't much fancy a theatre show. There was only one show on in Carmens at 11.45pm, the Australian impressionist doing a late night adult show. I can barely get up in the morning as it is, so didn't fancy staying up late for his show. Fortunately there was a film we fancied in the Playhouse - 'A Little Chaos' starring Kate Winslett and Alan Rickman (his last film role)

Overall, a good day and has lifted my 'flat' feeling.
Gill

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