Ports: You Lose Some, You Win Some

Day 35, South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand Cruise

Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022; Moreton Island, Queensland, Australia.

Yesterday the captain warned us that tendering at Moreton Island might be tricky. I wonder if he knew then it would be impossible and was just preparing us for the news. The seas looked okay from the Lido on the ninth deck, but apparently at sea level the swells were too much for safe transport. We would miss stopping at this sand island off the coast from Brisbane and the activities associated with the resort that would have hosted us.

It didn’t take long for that disappointing news to be forgotten as the captain announced we will arrive half a day early in Sydney instead – and dock at the Overseas Passenger Terminal by the Sydney Opera House! This is a prime dockage normally reserved for large cruise ships that are too tall to sail under the Sydney Harbor Bridge (and cruise lines that choose to pay the higher dockage fee, I would guess).

The MS Westerdam will sail into Sydney Harbor Monday around noon, and we will have the afternoon and evening to explore the city from this center of activity. The famous green and yellow ferries sail from Circular Quay to all points of interest. The Rocks, the old part of town now filled with shops, restaurants and museums, is right at our doorstep. The Opera House and Botanical Gardens are within blocks. And the view of the bridge should be spectacular.

Another ship is scheduled to dock at the OPT on Tuesday (our scheduled Sydney port day). So we will need to be back aboard Monday night by midnight, and the ship will take advantage of the low tide in the wee hours to sail under the bridge (about a six-foot clearance) and move to the White Bay Terminal in an isolated location that is convenient to nothing. The first three times I cruised into Sydney we docked at White Bay, requiring a taxi or shuttle bus to get anywhere. Holland America is offering a $10 shuttle bus ticket to Darling Harbor, so Tuesday I’ll opt for that.

Meanwhile, we have an unexpected sea day today. I’m usually spending my sea days sitting in the Crow’s Nest or at a table around the Lido pool, writing and sketching in the midst of all the socializing and activities. During my eight days of Covid isolation, I was thankful for my verandah cabin, but now the last thing I want to do is spend much time alone in there. Years of working in a busy newsroom trained me to tune out distractions.

I’ve never seen so many people playing board games and cards. The Crow’s Nest is filled with the sound of shuffling cards and dominos. I wasn’t pleased when Holland America did away with the nice big libraries and moved the games and coffee bar to the Crow’s Nest, eliminating the dance floor and band area in the process. But it is a popular place on this cruise. It just goes to show you that some changes might be for the better.

Last night was a “dressy” night, and after dinner the staff carried plated chocolate desserts through the public deck. At one time ships had a chocolate extravaganza around the pool deck. That has gone by the wayside as there were reports of huge amounts of wasted food – many people just took pictures. I thought this was a nice touch.

Speaking of my stateroom, here are a few pictures I took as I boarded more than a month ago. It’s a standard verandah stateroom, category VA, which means it is in what Holland America considers a prime location, near the center of the ship. It’s actually just at the forward elevators and stairs on deck 6, convenient for heading up to the Crow’s Nest (deck 10).

The love seat opens to a sofa bed, which past experience says has a rather thin mattress.  Some cabins have different configurations, which can be difficult to determine in advance. The website www.HalFacts.com collects submissions of cabin pictures from passengers, but you do need to consider the date of the photos, as many ships have been updated during dry docks. I’ve submitted my photos, but they haven’t yet been posted.