Our Virgin Cruise

[RB]

Outdoor spa/hot tubs- used this a few times & really enjoyed it. Fitted max 4 at the time but enjoyed some conversations with others (didn’t seem to happen much on the ship). The tubs varied in temp & some days all were too cold.



Lifts- forward, mid & aft & no significant waits. Seems to be a bit of a silly design that not all decks could be accessed from the aft & mid lifts

Sea Days- we handled these pretty well. Not a lot to see, barely a bird sighted and only saw other ships during our haul between Melbourne & Sydney. Had some live tv including some NRL & AFL. The ship web cam was incredibly clear but just had a forward view & no info re speed/positioning etc that is apparently common on other cruises.

The web cam on our tv


Not so smooth between Milford Sound & Hobart


Vehicle carrier we overtook after leaving Melb


The ID fobs were excellent. I kept mine on 24/7. Used for all purchases, exiting & re-boarding and cabin entry. The ID requirements varied between stops but some fellow passengers failed basic intelligence tests. We had been encouraged to recycle the fobs at the end of the voyage. There was one small unattended bin on a corner as the line snaked past- being somewhat difficult to take off yourself, I think the recycle strike rate would have been ordinary as people rushed to get off (it was also needed earlier when disembarking)

Karaoke- we had a couple of goes. A good song library available but thought the automatic scoring system didn’t appreciate our talent.

 

[bPeteb]

Loving this report RB!

 

[RB]

Entertainment- found most of the comedians to be pretty ordinary but a couple of very smart shows with dance & music. Very good props & light & sound and the venues we cleaned out rapidly. Certainly strong attention to spills on floors & limits on glass use in some areas. I am not a gym person but they looked well equipped. One of our mates did a couple of zumba classes and enjoyed them but said it was very hot with the big numbers in attendance. There were some very talented singers/musicians entertaining around the bars- seemed to only be on for a couple of days & then replaced.
Scarlett Night-certainly a highlight with a very high % of passengers dressing up. The dance party ended up inside due to the weather & swell. Thought the DJ kept the crowd going.
The casino area was generally pretty packed with some keen gamblers. Not our scene but plenty of promotions going on.
Heaps of people spent time completing jigsaws in the sports lounge. The trivia didn’t attract many (seemed to be less than 20 every time) & the hosts had annoying loud voices as you wandered past and questions seemed American centric from what we heard.



What is Around The World With The Diva on Virgin Voyages?










Another Great Show-Mind Mangler




2 very talented individuals

 

[RB]

This guy did a fantastic job at seating everyone at the shows









Scarlett Night Photo booth- a conservative trio






Don't know the background story but a large group (only some in the photo) had a dress-up night another night and looked magnificent in their all white



I seem to recall the audience at the Mind Mangler show ranged in aged from 18 to late 80's

 

[RB]

Wellington
Just did an independent walk along the waterfront-very similar to our usual style of holiday but we usually avoid cities. Was a pretty good weather day & enjoyed the sights. Great views from the deck of the main stadium & the timber yards. The lines to the cable car were insane so we avoided that. The Ovation of Seas was also visiting so very busy overall

 

[Flyfrequently]

Enjoying your TR, not being a cruiser finding it very informative.

Wish I saw something like this at Lisbon airport @ RB!

 

[RB]

Timaru
Timaru - Wikipedia
Basically a small port city. Shuttle buses to the centre & greeted by friendly locals with a country town attitude. Some craft displays & vintage vehicle display where we were dropped. Only around 30,000 residents who seem well served by a massive number of individual shop fronts-no shopping centres on display. Mrs RB did more walking then me and enjoyed the easy 1.5 hr return hike along Caroline Bay Beach with the protected areas for penguins, past the historic lighthouse to Dashing Rocks. The harbour is a large man-made project that is ongoing & the locals gathered in big numbers as we departed.

 

[RB]

More Timaru

 

[RB]

Dunedin
A very scenic drive from the port to the city & then a walk around the CBD area. The railway station was a highlight building and I thoroughly enjoyed the NZ Sporting Hall of Fame within the building. The First Church of Otago was a great Gothic structure & viewing the various shops reinforced the view that NZ is currently expensive. (also $2.83 for unleaded was a common sight). Mrs RB was again feeling more adventurous and enjoyed hiking around Port Chalmers to Flagstaff Lookout and the gardens above the harbour. The locals had set up a great market in one of the old buildings to sell their home made crafts and seemed to love the business the cruise ships bring to town.











The Railway Station






As a fellow left handed golfer, Bob Charles was always a bit of a hero to me

 

[RB]

More Dunedin

Gothic Grandeur: First Church of Otago, Dunedin – Sacred Travel Destinations






The name appealed to me




Back at Port Chalmers 6 of the Best Things to Do in Port Chalmers, Dunedin - See the South Island NZ Travel Blog

 

[RB]

Last of Port Chalmers

 

[RB]

3 Sounds-Doubtful, Dusky, Milford. Fiordland - Wikipedia

The weather wasn’t the finest for our Fiordland visit. We have visited many parts of New Zealand by road but not this area. Our cruise mates & other mates that have cruised through here previously rate it highly. We certainly enjoyed the contrast between Doubtful/Dusky/Milford & the weather improved as the day went on. The long lenses came out but most were very aware of sharing the prime viewing spots. Heard a few choppers go over but the passengers would have been disappointed early in the day. Milford Sound was the highlight with the clouds parting to reveal snow caps in the distance. We were at Milford later in the day and the small planes were taking off from the airport in quick succession, flew straight over the ship and did a neat pirouette to turn around at the end of the Sound.

Not a promising start

 

[RB]

A few Fiordland photos from different camera















This was certainly our highlight day

 

[RB]

Fiordland to Hobart
Our 3 sea days passed without boredom. Our friends commented that at times the seas were as rough (no idea of wave heights) as they had experienced so were were happy to avoid any sea sickness on the way to Hobart.

Calm start


Also pretty calm for this sunrise






Hobart
Our Saturday visit coincided with the Salamanca Markets. They certainly still draw the crowds but we weren’t up for a shopping frenzy. The food outlets have certainly grown in numbers as have the craft brewers. Must say it was a beautiful autumn day. Generally looked to be pretty dry

 

[RB]

Melbourne
We have spent some time in Melbourne previously so no big plans for looking around. We walked both directions from the pier- very dry gardens with the Bay St direction seeming to be high density housing and general living services. To the west seemed to have more space & more attractive living but less services. the other ship in the harbour was Norwegian Spirit- seemed to be a lot of those passengers taking buses from the terminal.







Princes Pier old pylons




Enjoyed a few cold beers and some small, Greek plates before departure

 

[RB]

Melbourne to Sydney
A final sea day & actually saw a couple of other ships. Seas were very calm & the weather was excellent so we spent some time around the pool and the hammock was well used. I wasn’t keen enough to get up for the voyage into Sydney Harbour but the early morning views docked at the International Cruise Terminal were indeed excellent.
We finally heard from the Captain as we deboarded in Sydney & his sailing crew were equally invisible throughout.















As maiden cruisers it is difficult to make judgements but we really enjoyed our time. We have known the other couple for around 35yrs but have only travelled with them a handful of times- importantly we are still mates & enjoyed each others company again!
While we are still able to physically handle independent travel using public transport through Europe, or visit India & Sri Lanka & hire a vehicle & driver while there,I think that will stay as our preferred style of travel.

 

[bPeteb]

Thanks for a great report RB. Glad you enjoyed it. The invisible captain thing is definitely very weird.

 

[RB]

Thanks for a great report RB. Glad you enjoyed it. The invisible captain thing is definitely very weird.

There were a few things that our experienced mates pointed out but they didn't particularly impact our plan of a 2 week catch-up, some drinks, food & fun. Have just read your new report & enjoyed that too.
Our mates were home & doing their washing before we even got off the ship!-sometimes living regionally is a drag

 

[RooFlyer]

Very nice TR, thanks

The Railway Station

Have a fond memory of that. In 2001 I and 7 rowdy mates, went to the Aust V All Blacks at Carisbrook. The day before, we discovered that the welcoming reception would be held at the railway station (at least as far as hazy memory allows). Written invitation only. Not to be deterred, we obtained the loan of an invite, went to the library and photocopied it, and later rocked up at the door for admission.

The guy on the door looked at the invitations proffered, looked at us, laughed, and let us in.

We were very well primed for the match the next day. Australia won, for the first time at The House of Pain, so afterwards we built a very big wall (anyone who attended a game at Carisbrook will know ...)

 

[RB]

Very nice TR, thanks



Have a fond memory of that. In 2001 I and 7 rowdy mates, went to the Aust V All Blacks at Carisbrook. The day before, we discovered that the welcoming reception would be held at the railway station (at least as far as hazy memory allows). Written invitation only. Not to be deterred, we obtained the loan of an invite, went to the library and photocopied it, and later rocked up at the door for admission.

The guy on the door looked at the invitations proffered, looked at us, laughed, and let us in.

We were very well primed for the match the next day. Australia won, for the first time at The House of Pain, so afterwards we built a very big wall (anyone who attended a game at Carisbrook will know ...)

I did get a grin when I commented that the Hall of Fame was in a small room