9 Feb 2023

Sydney Arrival

Due to the tides and the height of the Zuiderdam, we had to arrive earlier than usual this morning to maintain at least a 2-meter clearance under the Sydney Harbour Bridge on our way to the White Bay Cruise Terminal.  Consequently, it was quite dark as we sailed thru the harbor at 5:15 am.

Coffee, juice and pastries were available in the Crow’s Nest.  In the past, “Sydney Opera House Rolls” also known as “Panama Canal Rolls” would be served.  Today only the standard rolls available every morning in the Lido were being served.

Taking photographs from a moving ship in low light is challenging, and I could not capture anything worthwhile.  A few people got some great photographs, all taken with their phones.  Modern phone cameras are pretty good in many situations, and this was a good example.  Check out this post from Jo Johnston, Writer on Deck, for an excellent early morning shot of the Sydney Opera House framed by the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The Sydney Web Cam HERE – captures some great shots, and here is the one from our arrival.

White Bay Cruise Terminal

We moored, port side, at the White Bay Cruise Terminal.  The elevated gangways were not in service today due to maintenance, so we would leave the ship from A Deck and walk into the terminal.

DO NOT PLAN EARLY EXCURSIONS FOR THE FIRST DAY IN SYDNEY.  IMMIGRATION MAY TAKE LONGER THAN EXPECTED.

There were 12 immigration groups this morning.  A few days ago, everyone was asked when they wanted to depart the ship.  Passengers were assigned a group based on their plans.  We had no early plans, so we were assigned to Group 12, the last group.   The ship was required to reach a “ZERO COUNT,” which meant everyone had to leave the ship and go thru immigration in the terminal.   No one would be allowed back on the ship until everyone cleared immigration.  If you have no early plans – going thru immigration with the last group will minimize your waiting time in the terminal.

We were advised that masks MAY be required in the terminal.  The crew reminded people to wear masks as they left the ship, but it turned out masks were not required.  We didn’t find any Sydney establishment, bus, or ferry that required people to wear masks, and very few locals were wearing masks.

There was some confusion with the HAL tours as to whether people should meet on the World Stage first – then go through Immigration – or go directly through Immigration.  The result was some of the tours were delayed by almost 2 hours.

Groups began to be called at 7:45 am.  People in those earlier groups reported waiting 30-45 minutes to get thru the Immigration line.  Group 12 was called at 10:45 am.  We were off the ship and in the terminal at 10:54.  We cleared Immigration 10 minutes later.

Wi-Fi is available in the terminal, along with a shop selling soft drinks and a few snacks.

Sydney Yarn Crawl

Our plan for today was to visit three yarn shops, a camera store, the Apple Store, and the Tommy Bahama shop, before returning to the ship to drop off our purchases, change and head over to the Sydney Opera House to see an evening performance of Velvet Rewired in the “Studio”.

Our first stop was the yarn shop Skein Sisters at 721 New Canterbury Rd in Dulwich Hill.  The Uber ride took about 20 minutes and cost $20 USD

We were here in 2018 and the shop is light and airy with a nice selection of local and international yarns.   Olga was working today and she was very helpful.  This is a great Local Yarn Shop and should be on your “Don’t Miss List” when you visit Sydney.  Skein Sisters has developed their own line of yarn since we last visited.  Their “Fabulous Sock” is a blend of 80% Australian Extra Fine Superwash Merino and 20% nylon.  Judy chose a color called ‘Neon Graffiti’ which is a mix of mostly pinks with bits of purples, greens, yellows and corals thrown in.  She bought the last four hanks they had of this color and is now considering what she wants to knit with this lovely soft yarn.  Dulwich Hill has several nice shops and coffee shops if you want to get a bite to eat afterward.  As we were leaving, the rain started hard – and we were able to get into our Uber without getting too wet.

Next up on the Yarn Crawl was “Granny Square” at 47 King Street in Newtown.  Granny Square is branded as a Boutique Wool Shop and has several locations.  It is owned by the larger yarn shop Morris and Sons.  This location is small and cozy and has some cute knitted monkeys from the Ravelry pattern “Monkey Jacobus” by the Dutch designer Annita Wilschut , in the window.

Our final stop on the Yarn Crawl was Morris and Son’s at 50 York Street in the Central Business District.   This is a huge wool shop, with a large selection of Rowan yarns.  Manos del Uruguay and Regia Sock yarn by Schachenmayr  were well represented as were needlepoint kits by Kaffe Fassett and Ehrman Tapestry.  There is also a small selection of quilt fabrics towards the back of the shop.

After our Yarn Crawl, we stopped by the nearby Apple Store to use their fast, free WiFi to update our phones’ apps and back them up.  This took about 45 minutes, and while we were waiting, we enjoyed a couple of free classes about how to use our phone to manage still photos and take better videos.  We were happy to be in the Apple store when the rain began to pour down with the occasional loud pop of thunder.

Georges Camera is nearby, and Tommy Bahama is across the street.  We enjoyed browsing in these shops and picked up a few shirts and a wireless microphone.

Another Uber took us back to the ship with enough time to change our clothes and get ready to go to the Sydney Opera House (SOH) to see Velvet Rewired in the  venue called “The Studio.”

Velvet Rewired is a musical production featuring hits from the Disco Era.

This big, bold, and beautiful production stars the iconic Marcia Hines as The Diva, Joe Accaria as The DJ and the spectacular Craig Reid as Hula Boy. They are joined by a cast of internationally acclaimed circus, dance performers and vocalists in a fusion of flawless glamour, glitz and jaw-dropping circus skills!

You can watch the trailer on YouTube HERE..   The show was 75 minutes long.   More about the show HERE.

We left the ship at 5 pm to allow for plenty of time for traffic and not be rushed for the 6:30 pm start of Velvet Rewired.  Remember that taxis can only drop you off about 300 yards from the entrance, so you need to factor that into your planning.  Our Uber left White Bay Cruise Terminal at 5:12 pm, and we arrived at the Opera House at 5:34 pm.  After pausing for some photos, we entered the waiting area for the venue at 5:45 pm.  To recap – we left our cabin at 5 pm and were outside the theater door at 5:45 pm.  Our Uber XL, holding our group of 5, was about $45 each way.

Note – We bought our tickets online thru the SOH website.  Keep checking this website as events are often added as you get closer to your sailing date.  I strongly recommend that you buy your tickets and transportation privately.  We learned later that the HAL tour to the opera “Don Giovanni” arrived late, and arriving late to any theatrical performance is a BIG DEAL.  They will normally require you to wait for a break in the performance before they allow you into the theatre.

The show starts with the DJ playing Disco Music above a narrow stage that extends about 50 feet.    There isn’t any plot, but about ten unrelated acts featuring singing, dancing and acrobatics with frequent use of a suspended cable where they would spin and somersault in mid-air.   One of the show’s highlights was “Hula Boy” – who didn’t look like much of a performer but dazzled the crowd with his skill with Hula Hoops.  Interspersed between the acts, singers belted out hits from the Disco Era accompanied by a pair of singing Go Go dancers.    The show was tremendous fun and we enjoyed it very much.

Note – Getting a taxi or Uber after the show can be difficult due to crowds.   My advice is to take a walk to the Rocks – enjoy the stroll along Circular Quay and get your ride there.

Velvet Rewired played in “The Studio,” one of the smaller venues in the Sydney Opera House with a capacity of 280 people.   Non-Flash Photography was permitted for our performance.  I strongly recommend that you take the Sydney Opera House Tour to gain a full appreciation of this magnificent facility and all the different venues.

After the show, we walked over to the Rocks and enjoyed a light meal at the oldest pub in Sydney, “Fortune of War”.  We sat outside and needed a smartphone with data to pull up the menu, order our food and pay online.  Our table number was automatically recorded, and our food arrived without any wait staff interaction.  If you don’t have a smartphone – it is getting harder and harder to enjoy essential services.

NOTE:  I have not yet discovered any Sydney area restaurant, a retail establishment, or venue that didn’t take credit cards.     Changing your money is almost not necessary.   AMEX is not widely accepted – bring a VISA or MC.  We are starting to see a few establishments that have a sign posted – No Cash.

After our dinner, we went back to Circular Quay to watch the evening light show on the Sydney Opera House Sails.    The shows are usually every thirty minutes on the hour and half hour starting after sunset.   Tonight’s show featured a black ribbon in memory of the people killed in the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.   See the feature photo at the top of this post.

We returned to the ship using Uber to prepare for our next day.

10 Feb 2023

Day 2 – Sydney

We were off the ship around 11:30 am and headed to the terminal to take the Shuttle Bus to Darling Harbor.  The ride is about 10 minutes –  Check out the maps above on this page for the exact location.  There is a lot to do in this area, including the Sydney Zoo and Aquarium – check out this MAP for more information.

Today’s weather was perfect as we strolled the promenade toward Crown Sydney Hotel Resort.  There are many restaurants along the way, but not many retail shops unless you cross over Cockle Bay using the 1/4 mile Pyrmont Bridge to the Harbourside Shopping Mall.  I wanted to check out the Casino at the Crown Sydney resort but learned that it is only open to guests.

Our next stop was Bondi Beach which we reached using Uber in about 30 minutes for $22 USD.  The beach is a little over 1/2 mile long and has a wide, flat sand area perfect for sunbathing, surfing, and other water activities.  The sand is light-colored and soft, and the water is a vibrant blue-green color ideal for swimming and surfing.  The waves at Bondi Beach are generally small, making it an excellent place for beginner surfers and families with young children.

One interesting feature of Bondi Beach is the Graffiti Wall.  The wall is located on the southern end of the beach, near the Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk, and serves as a canvas for local and international street artists to showcase their work.  The wall started when the local government realized they could save money by managing and curating the graffiti artists rather than constantly cleaning the wall.  You can learn more about the wall HERE

We spent about 45 minutes here walking up to North Bondi and then back down toward the center, where we looked for T-Shirts in the store “Between the Flags.”

Uber brought us to the Ken Done Gallery in the Rocks.  We visit this gallery whenever we are in Sydney and enjoy seeing his new exhibits.

We were back on the ship at 5 pm and went to the Sail Away at 6 pm when we headed out to sea, passing under the Harbour Bridge and past the Sydney Opera House.  The best place for pictures would have been from the bow, but I was back aft where the Sydney Opera House was terribly backlit by the low sun and difficult to photograph.  The Ocean Bar Dance Band performed live during the sail away and waiters were out and about passing hors d’oeuvres.

Hyperion Knight was on the World Stage tonight.  Once again, he was fantastic.  Not only is he a great pianist, but he is also a great entertainer.  Hyperion tells a compelling story about the pieces he performs rather than simply naming the title and composer.

Hyperion also played:

• Piano Concerto in A minor by Edward Grieg
• Gershwin’s Fascinating Rhythm
• Dave Brubeck’s Take Five
• Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven
• Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody
• Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue