Day 35 - 11/06/22 - At sea to Sydney, Australia

 At 7:15am we were awakened by a PA announcement from the Captain that we had arrived at Moreton Island and that the ship anchored and they were putting a tender in the water to test the tendering operation.  The tone of his voice did not sound optimistic.  We turned on the bow camera and the flag was blown straight out from the flagpole indicating high winds.

At 7:30am the Captain came back on the PA system and sad that after testing the water and wind conditions, it was not going to be possible to tender and that we would raise the anchor, stow the tender, and retract the tender platform.  We would then head directly to Sydney.  He said there would be more information later.

Keeping my ear to the ground, I learned that with the port cancellation, we would be arriving at Sydney tomorrow a day earlier than the scheduled arrival and that we would be docked at Circular Quay which is the heart of downtown Sydney and the preferred docking location. At this point we didn't know if we could keep this location or would have to move to White Bay.  I kept that information to myself and during breakfast, he came on and reiterated the above information.  In the Lido there was a huge cheer and smiles abounded.  We then turned around and proceeded to sail north along a fairly narrow shipping channel to get around Moreland Island.

Once we were out in the open ocean and had dropped our pilot, the ship turned south and increased its speed to over 21 knots for the rest of the day and as of this writing at 4:40pm in the afternoon.  At noon, in his "Voice from the Bridge" PA announcement, he provided further details.  We would be arriving at the pilot station around 11am and the bow would be open to watch the sail into Sydney Harbor (one of the prettiest in the world).  We should be able to get off of the ship by 1pm and we have to be back on the ship by midnight (guests and crew).  At 4:30am, the ship would be moved from Circular Key to White Bay as the tide is favorable and the ship would have about 6 feet of clearance under the Sydney Bridge.  On Tuesday morning, we are free to leave the ship in White Bay and be ashore until 6pm.   However, because this is our last Australian port until we return after visiting New Zealand, if one comes back to the ship during the day, one passes through Australian border check and can't get back off of the ship.  I also noted that our shipboard account had been credited with the $250/person goodwill gesture from missing an upcoming New Zealand port.  We also had the new $5.85 charge per person for the PNG Quarantine Fee. And the snorkeling excursion cost for the Moreton Island snorkeling trip had been removed.  I really missed not being able to snorkel the wrecks at Moreton Island.

Naturally, because of the missed port, additional items were added to the regular program during the day.  The only one that we went to see was a matinee performance of Thomas Armstrong Robley.  He performed with the Ocean Bar pianist, Kent Russo, a number of slow arrangements of songs from well known artists.  It was really, really good very intimate sort of concert played to a full house with a standing ovation at the end.  Afterwards Angela and I did a mile plus walk on the outside promenade deck. It was pretty windy and the ship certainly moved around a bit given the high speed we are traveling.  During our walk I had the chance to chat with the Staff Captain about the tenders and especially the unusual noises they make when put in reverse.  They sound like the gearboxes are coming apart.  He noted my comment and also commented that the tenders are due to be replaced next year.  They were supposed to be replaced this year, but the ship was not in Europe where they are manufactured. So the Oosterdam got them.  

I would add that today we received our ship tiles.  One was broken but we easily got it replaced.

We attended the final interdenominational service of this segment which was bittersweet as we've really enjoyed them.  We celebrated communion together.  Afterwards we attended Jim Short's comedy show on the Main Stage.  His show was once again very funny. We really appreciate a comedian who can be really funny without having to be off color or profane.

We then broke our two month long streak of never having had dinner in the Main Dining Room.  We decided to eat there at 8pm and it was really enjoyable.  It wasn't crowded, our portion sizes were perfect, and we weren't rushed.  We have a dinner engagement with another couple in a few days, so we'll be back for at least one more time. Because Sydney is on daylight savings time, we lose an hour tonight. But its going to be wonderful to sail into the Sydney harbor at a decent time and take it all it.  It's one of the prettiest harbors to sail into in the world along with Barcelona.