Sydney Sail-In Never Grows Old

Day 63, Grand World Voyage 2020

Saturday, March 7, 2020; Sydney, Australia

Sydney is all about the water, and the excitement starts before sunrise as the Amsterdam sails into the harbor. We pass between two cliffs – the headlands – and turn first to port and eventually to starboard as we navigate the channel.

And then, in the dawn light, we see the iconic Opera House and the Harbor Bridge. I’m on deck 9 outside the Crow’s Nest, elbowing for space along the railing – me with my iPhone among the photographers with their long lenses. On my first Sydney sail-in a couple of years ago I was among the long-lens crowd. This year I focused on getting pictures of the Opera House from different angles as we pass by. I’ll do a simple sketch page later of the different perspectives.

The best way to see Sydney is from the water. And the best way to do that is from the deck of a city ferry. They scuttle to and fro from the main ferry terminal at Circular Quay to the far reaches of the harbor.

Our destination today is Watson’s Bay, right by the harbor entrance. This ferry ride will take us to several stops along the way, providing great views of beaches and mansions. I was particularly interested in seeing Rose Bay, where one of the fictional characters in Crazy Rich Asians lives.

Watson’s Bay boasts a small beach and several waterside restaurants, most connected to the legendary restaurant Doyles. We decided to come here before exploring the Opera House neighborhood so we would beat the Saturday beach crowds.

It wasn’t too early, through, for fish and chips and a Young Henry’s Newtowner Australian Pale Ale. We lingered under umbrellas as the morning clouds gave way to a partly sunny sky, a nice breeze and temperatures in the low 70s. Just about heaven.

By eating early, we had plenty of time to walk through Robertson Park up the hill to the gap next to the South Head. Elaine took the steep path and stairs up to the top of the cliff for the best views. The clouds came and went; I took the two photographs within 15 minutes.

During our return ferry ride the harbor was full of sailboats – pleasure sloops out for day sails and regattas of all classes – small single-sail boats in the bays and large black-sail boats out in the harbor and even the ocean.

Back at the Opera House, we took the requisite selfies. A number of our fellow passengers are coming here tonight for a performance of Carmen, but just seeing the amazing building up close was enough for us.

By now we didn’t think we would have time for shopping at the Rocks, one of Sydney’s oldest neighborhoods at the foot of the bridge. So we jumped onto a ferry heading back to Darling Harbor, where we did have enough time to explore the Australia National Maritime Museum before it closed. From there it was just a short passage on the walkway over Darling Harbor to meet the shuttle bus heading back to the ship.

The dining room crowd was sparse – I imagine many of the people not at the opera were grabbing a fast bite to eat at the Lido buffet. After eating we wandered by the Piano Bar to catch a glimpse of the new entertainer there, but we were too tired to stop. We’ll make it an early night, as this is an overnight stop, and we have more sightseeing to do tomorrow.

Last night was the final Piano Bar evening for Diane Slagle, who left today to return to her home in Ketchikan, Alaska. I’m not sure why they split the world cruise contracts between multiple entertainers, but Diane was ready to go home to her relatively new husband AJ. We’ve really enjoyed our evenings in the Piano Bar, where she takes requests that range from American Standards to rock and roll and even country. And we were honored that she accepted our invitation for lunch in the Pinnacle Grill on her final day on the Amsterdam.

The usually quiet crowd let loose to mark Diane’s leaving. Who would have expected a conga line in a piano bar?

A word about our berth in Sydney. This is one port where I wish I were on a mega ship. The Amsterdam can fit under the Harbor Bridge (barely, it seems from the deck). So we are sent to White Bay Terminal when larger ships are in port. While this isn’t far as the crow flies from the central business district, it requires a 20-minute (longer in traffic) shuttle bus drive to take us to Darling Harbor.

Bigger ships that can’t get under the bridge either dock at the International Cruise Terminal right at Circular Quay by the Opera House (where the Freedom of the Seas was this morning), or they anchor near the zoo. The giant Spectrum of the Seas was anchored there. I can’t imagine tendering the 4,000-plus passengers ashore.