Recently arrived back from a 10 day cruise to the Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef. Ten days of living in a bubble where I have no responsibilities. The world still turns and things happen but in my cruise world I only have to decide what time to go to dinner, and when to have coffee and where to sit so I can read my book. Mobile access is random as we move in and out of range - which sometimes means that those pesky messages telling you to recharge often come during the night. No worries. Sleep a little later. Internet is available but it's very slow and costs a fortune so emails can wait. What a luxury it all is.
The food on the ship is wonderful, especially in the dining room, and our dinner companions couldn't be better if we'd chosen them ourselves. We sail out of Sydney at night with the lights all around us. We become addicted to watching the pilot leave the ship after every port - the sudden leap from the cruise liner to the pilot boat is magic. As this sometimes happens in rough seas and sometimes in the pitch dark we hope they are well paid. The after dinner entertainment is wonderful and sometimes spectacular. On the second night we are entertained by Ian Cooper - a brilliant Australian violinist who is equally at home with Classical music, Jazz and Irish Fiddle music. The ship also boasts a wonderful aerial acrobatic troupe who entertain us in the ship's Centrum - the eleven story central part of the ship.
The ship was the Royal Caribbean's "Rhapsody of the Seas". It has had a refurbishment since I last travelled on it in 2008 when I cruised from Hawaii back to Australia via Tahiti. The ship is looking fresh and new - although I'm not the only person who preferred the old library room to the bookshelf that has replaced it.
Some Photos of the trip:
Centrum on the "Rhapsody"
pool area at night
leaving cairns
aerial acrobats in the "Rhapsody"
palm cove queensland
sydney opera house at night
