Day 12 - Leaving Australia by cruise ship

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Across the street from the hotel is a McDonald's and most of them in Sydney have free WiFi. So we managed to conveniently connect to their network and used it to bring our blog up to date. Thank you McDonald's.

We checked out at noon and then hopped on the train to Circular Quay where we found the impressive Celebrity Millennium cruise ship waiting for us in Sydney Harbour. We turned our bags over to Celebrity, checked in, went through customs, boarded the ship and were in our cabin (#9173) enjoying a complimentary glass of champagne by 2pm. This will be our home for the next 9 days and a comfy room it is.

We disembarked to go enjoy our last few remaining hours in Sydney. At the time we purchased our Bridge Climb tickets we also got a free pass to visit the Harbour Bridge Pylon Lookout so we had already decided to use this time for the visit. We made our way up the many steps inside the south pylon. At the half way point there's a room with souvenirs and glass cases documenting the bridges construction using artifacts and engineering tools that were used at the time. In another large room adjacent to the first one is a small theatre where a short movie recounts the bridges history.

The views from the top of the pylon are breathtaking. If the Bridge Climb doesn't sound like something you would be interested in, then the Pylon Lookout is an excellent alternative. You get a complete 360 views of Sydney and her harbour. As you can see from the pictures It's another beautiful day in Sydney, warm with a slight breeze to keep you from getting too hot.

After the pylon visit, we stopped to do a little souvenir shopping and snapped a few more pictures before making our way back to the ship. All passengers were due on board by 5pm. At 5:30 we dutifully practiced our emergency procedures by donning our life jackets and meeting at muster station-D before making our way on deck to lifeboat #16. Hopefully we won't need to re-enact those procedures during our cruise but the whole experience is entertaining if nothing else.

Around 6:15, with ominous thunder clouds approaching in the distance, this massive vessel inched to life. This is like watching planes take off and land, there's just something amazing about the whole endeavor. Barely noticeable at first, the ship ever so slowly moved away from the pier and then backed into the harbor with the beautiful Harbour Bridge at our backs. The ship's bow then pivoted into the harbor and with that our cruise was underway. By now the thunder clouds were unleashing their energy onto Sydney and we were treated to a spectacular lights and sound show as lightning bolts flashed across the Sydney skyline, thunder cracked and the ship's heavy bass horn signaled our departure. As we made our way through the harbor and out to sea, we could see camera flashes going off everywhere along the coast and from ferries and sailing ships as people photographed the ship and waved goodbye. The entire event was a fitting way to bid farewell to this wonderful city and we both hope to return some day.

One of the nice things about this cruise is we actually get to unpack. So after that was done, we set off to explore our new home. Millennium is part of Celebrity's Millennium class of ships built to host 1,950 guests. It was built at the Chantier de L'Atlantique in St. Nazaire, France and entered service in 2000. It has 991 crew, 2 penthouses, 8 royal suites, 8 celebrity suites, 32 sky suites, 538 staterooms with balconies (that's ours,) 235 ocean-view staterooms, and 201 inside staterooms. It also has a full size gym, spa, movie theatre, casino, show theatre, libraries, internet cafe, several lounges and bars, and 5 restaurants.

We had dinner at the Metropolitan Restaurant which is one of the larger restaurants on board. We dined on shrimp cocktail, tomato soup, wild mushroom mille-feuille, ceasar salad, chicken breast stuffed with prosciutto and spinach, key lime cheesecake and creme brulee with citrus fruit. I think we'll be just fine!

After dinner, Kip tried his luck in the casino. A couple hands of Caribbean stud poker and Blackjack saw wins with minimal profits, but hopes of becoming rich soon!

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Photos

Sydney Harbour and our cruise ship
View from top of the Harbour Bridge south pylon.

Kip is a Celebrity...
Celebrity cruiseship in the background...

Frank is a Celebrity...
Cruiser...he's even got his sunglasses on!

Home for the next 9 days...
...and we asked them to split the beds.

Comments

[Nick]

Good Bye Aussies, Hello Kiwis!
Thank you two for sharing your adventures! I can't believe that you have done so much in so little time - I think that's a record! Now, if either of you strike it rich in the Casinos, happy hour is on you two? :) Have a GREAT time in Kiwi Country!

[Ada]

Let me know!
The only thing that would have made this trip to Sydney better, is to have your little sister in tow! So, next time you're planning the trip, don't forget this crucial essential!!!