Airlie Beach, Australia

Not everything goes as planned and this happened to be one of those times. On our stop at Airlie Beach we had an excursion planned to The Great Barrier Reef. The day we got there we were in a category one typhoon and all tours of the reef were closed down due to rough seas. Plan "B" was to go into Airlie Beach and look around. Airlie Beach looks like a typical beach town with plenty of shops for the tourists. There are also a lot of places to eat. Beaches also looked good if the weather was good. Between heavy bursts of rain we made our way around town but ended up going back to the ship early.

We now have a reason to go back.

Australia Zoo

They say timing is everything. Our first stop on the cruise was Brisbane and we decided to take an excursion to the Australia Zoo, owned by the Irwin family of Crocodile Hunter fame. Because of commitments it is rare the Irwin family is there but on this day we had the pleasure of Teri and Bindi Irwin doing the crocodile show.

The zoo is quite large with many enclosures where you can get close and even pet some of the wildlife. We were able to get close to kangaroos and koala bears. The crocodile show is in a stadium called the Crocoseum  and is very entertaining.  They have many exhibits of wildlife from Australia and also Africa.

There are plenty of places to grab food and drinks and take a break. Since the zoo is so big and it can get hot you will need water and a place to sit down.

If you have time, which we didn't, there is also an animal rescue hospital you can tour.

If you are coming from a cruise ship the bus ride is pleasant and the tour guide will tell you what you are seeing along the way and also what to expect at the zoo.

This is a highly recommended excursion.

Cruising Australia

After spending the first 5 days in Sydney, with a one day excursion to the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, we boarded our ship for an 8 night cruise up the east coast. Our ship was the Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas which left from Sydney harbor. I would say it is a mid-size ship with a capacity of about 2500 passengers. There were 13 decks with deck 10 being the highest for cabins. Above that there was the main pool and buffet on deck 11, arcades, kids pool, fitness center on deck 12 and the Viking Crown Lounge on deck 13.

We had a Junior Suite on deck 10 that was plenty big enough for us with a nice balcony. The bathroom had a combo tub shower for plenty of room and the walk-in closet allowed us to put all our clothes away and still had room to store the luggage out of the way. The room also had a sitting area which made it nice when our friends came over for a drink. For on-board activities I would suggest going to the nightly show. We saw everything from a magician, comedienne, tango show to a tribute to the band Queen. We had the late dinner seating and we would hit the show before dinner. Also there were movies, the pool and we also took a behind the scenes tour of the kitchen which included an awesome lunch. There is something to do for everyone. You can be as active as you want or just grab a book and relax. My wife did a spa treatment which she really enjoyed. It was such a pleasant experience she would have gone back if we had the time. She also purchased a lot of the products they used on her. 

For food, we really enjoyed the main dining room. Our service was great and the food options every night were perfect. One night we opted for reservations at the steak house. The food was great as well as the service but we missed our servers in the main dining room. For breakfast we had the option of the main dining room or the Windjammer Buffet. Both were great. Sitting in the main dining room was good and if you had an excursion and were in a hurry the buffet was perfect. There was also the Windjammer Cafe for lunch or many other options for a quick snack. 

We opted for the unlimited drink package which we got our monies worth. Enough said there. We also brought 2 bottles of wine with us but with the drink package I thought it was a waste bringing our own wine.

I think taking a cruise is a great value for what you get. If you can do it reserve a suite. Our Junior Suite made the cruise very enjoyable. My only concern was the amount of food we ate. Food is always available and it is too tempting.

Royal Caribbean is a great cruise line to choose.

Sydney Opera House

The Four Seasons Hotel was in a great location and was within walking distance to the Sydney Opera House. In fact you could see it from Sue and Marks room. We had the hotel book us a tour and walked from the hotel. The walk is easy from the hotel and passes the ferry terminals and harbor cruise ports. Once you get to the far side of Circular Quay the walk is lined with bars and restaurants. 

You can argue that, along with the Sydney Bridge, the Sydney Opera House is the most iconic site in Sydney. It was designed by a Danish architect, Jørn Utzon, who had his design selected in 1957 and was completed in October, 1973. We learned that the reason it took so long was that the original design was not engineering sound and it too years to find a way to build it. Of course that caused cost overruns. The original cost was set at $7 M and the final cost came in at $102 M. During construction the architect resigned and went back to Denmark and never saw it completed. Eventually the architects son was brought back to complete the project.  Later more work was done to allow more natural sunlight to come in. 

The Sydney Opera House is not one venue but is made up of many venues all within the building. That way, during a typical day there could be a school play, major concert, play, recitals, etc. There are over 1500 events and 1.2 M people there each year along with 350,000 people taking the guided tour.

If you are in Sydney the tour is a must do. The guides add a lot of color and perspective to the tour making it very enjoyable.