| It was our final formal night where many men were not only getting away with no tie, but some were even allowed into Cascades without a jacket. Ann turned up and was friendly! Rather TOO friendly, actually bothering to talk to me, listen. Perhaps she was trying to get me on her side against Joyce, who didn't come as she said she wouldn't. She forced laughs and smiles as we endured Carol's holiday horror stories before promptly telling us worse ones! More than a week prior, she had asked all but me if this was their longest cruise, to which all said it was. I took the opportunity to finally answer that question by bringing up the 18 nights on Aurora in 2011 to absolute silence. Ann asked everyone what their favourite port had been on this and looked aghast when I said Akaroa. Well, NONE of them actually stayed in the town or area. All their tours took them away before they returned by tender. Ann turned her nose up at a holiday in Majorca with her daughter. It's your family so shouldn't matter where you go, stupid woman! Carol and Dave have their next cruise booked for 2014 - someone warn Adventure and close Norway!!!!! It was the parade of chefs. As I was leaving, the dining room manager asked if everything was okay as he noticed Joyce's absence. I explained what happened, much to his relief since he thought it was connected to her sending the salmon back. I honestly can't remember a day either Carol or Joyce weren't moaning about the food and sending it back. I went to see the show, which was The Aussie Boys, and arrived ten minutes late. They were great! Why did it take near the end of the cruise to have good entertainment? Then I went to the cabin and found my luggage tags - at 7.45am for GOLD Crown & Anchor members! 'Scuse me, Diamond, if you please, mush! So I got them changed and they were bloody earlier by fifteen minutes! Why bother selecting a time if they kick you off when they decide anyway? Other times, even as Platinum, you had a time but it was the earliest and you could go later. Then it was bed and an overwhelming feeling of not wanting to leave. |
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| Our final sea day, another hour gained and a beautifully warm 24c, meaning the sundress came out for the first time since Esperance, which felt like a lifetime ago! There was a pool barbecue, yet no Baked Alaska due to fire safety. Ooooooooooooookaaaaayyyyy. There was also the belly flop in the morning, which had been cancelled all cruise because of the weather. An Italian called came second, which was some feat considering he can't swim. A bloke from Western Australia won. Then it was the noon announcement as the barbecue queue built up so I decided to go to the much quieter Windjammer and be looked after by Gokhan in there for the last time. When I came out an hour later, the queue was right across the deck. I was glad I made the choice I did. I had to pack, and had no idea how I would get everything in which didn't need to be carried. I began then left it to watch the pool volleyball, which was Australia versus the rest of the world. Ann was prematurely aging herself and waved at me, rather too friendly which was disconcerting after her behaviour all cruise. Rest of the world won 3-0 and as I was going back to tackle the packing again, she wanted to chat again. By now Howard had rejoined her. I told her about Dino, who was also in the volleyball and she said he was stupid. Is there anything she doesn't look down her snooty nose at? I made my excuses before I bopped her one and popped to the shop, buying a beach bag to assist with lugging stuff off and also found proper T-shirts with the ship on at last! I left it again, packed but open, to go to Diamond Club and started to get teary for the first time in my cruising life when JJ hugged me to say goodbye. I really didn't want to leave this ship, only those idiots on my table. I hadn't received my Diamond pin on Indy or so far on Radiance but JJ got me one before I left. Once I got back to the cabin, I tackled the case and yep, it closed - hooray!!!! Then I rested a while. |
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| It was the farewell show before dinner for second seating guests so I lugged my case out and found a wheel broken - bugger! That was going to be a bastard the rest of the trip. I'd bought it for Jewel in 2009 so it lasted a while. It was a good show, with Bobby the CD talking about something he'd said on that second night which seemed so long ago. The crew left the stage to When The Saints Go Marching In. Despite there being a no videotaping rule, there was a man blatantly doing so in the front row but he wasn't stopped. My final dinner with those tossers, although Sue and Pete were the most normal. It was Carol, Dave, Ann and Howard who were the worst probably because they did like their booze more than the rest. The former with all their boozy tours, the latter using up their wine package days before because she can't make it last at dinner. It was no surprise she was as pissed as a fart like none Joyce remained absent. I never did learn what was said but it was have hurt Joyce a lot because she was a bubbly sort of person and she did the quizzes with Ann, even winning early in the cruise. Ann was far too touchy-feely and overbearingly friendly towards me which was more annoying than her being snooty! They all tried outdoing each other over Jamaica horror stories but this time Carol and Dave were mainly ignored by Ann, Howard, Sue and Pete the entire night. You could tell Carol hated not being the centre of attention in spite of her attempts to be. Her hugging me when she left was very hypocritical after her own snooty behaviour. We had the usual end of cruise singing from the crew and Dave said, "What are we getting now?" He should flipping know after all those cruises! Gradually they all left, and it would really only be Sue, Pete and their grandson Charlie I'd miss out of the lot of them because they weren't anywhere near as bad as the rest. Back to the cabin and a bit of a later than planned night as I saw on the news Margaret Thatcher had died. At least with the time difference, we'd be asleep so miss the saturation coverage the UK had. |
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| Another hour back as we neared Sydney. We were due to dock at 6.30am but were early. The Captain had said the best places to watch our approach were deck 12 or the helipad but never said it would be pouring with rain! Everyone was wearing the wrong clothes because he'd told us it would be lovely. My dress was absorbing water from the deck. It would stop briefly then pour again, leading everyone to dash for shelter. It was a lovely arrival though. |
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| I went for breakfast and then waited a while until it was time to go to Cascades, deck 5, for departure. I met the American couple I'd spoken to in Fiordland and we all went off together. Despite warnings of taking no foodstuffs and things, some stupid woman tried carrying off her coffee. It was a very smooth disembarkation and when I found my case, the wheel had been fixed! What a lovely person to do that. I was met by Stella Eaton from Facebook, who helped me to the Holiday Inn around the corner. Much to my surprise, the entire port area was open. I wasn't that sorry to leave the fabulous Radiance one I learned four hundred kids would be boarding that day! I was lucky and they had a room, 725, so I could check-in. Later, we went out and I got some photos, starting with the roof! The rain had stopped so that made it better. She was listed to sail at 6.30pm so we went by the Opera House to watch her, meeting an American lady called Nicole Goldstein along the way, and spent the following few hours with, who we're still in touch with today. |
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And so that was the end of my great Australasian adventure. I stayed in Sydney a few more days and also saw some other ships before flying home on the 12th. Apart from my table companions, who would be returning to their sad little lives, longing for their next cruise where they can try to be superior as it's all they live for (and booze!), I had such a wonderful time. When I'd been on Aurora in 2011, the 18 nights dragged because it was so boring, even though we had wonderful table companions. This was the opposite and it was never dull. The crew and many other things make a ship and they made this perfect. That was my best cruise ever, replacing QE2 Fjords 2008. Thank you, Royal Caribbean, for not only having the BEST itineraries out there but for such a fantastic cruise. If I ever manage to head that way again, you and Radiance will be my first choice. To see more photos of Radiance in Fremantle and the ships in Sydney, click on the Other Stalking index. |
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