Woohoo! A land day. The captain obviously found the place and this was a tender port. As we were on a ship’s tour and had to be up 6:15am anyway, I was less than pleased that the leadfooted deck 12 walker was up even earlier and woke me at 5:55. I do hope they get off in Freemantle, because if they don’t, some form of action will have to be taken! There are of course options to deal with these annoyances, ranging from a quiet word with security; to a plea on the Wake Show – which they may not watch; to the proactive ‘get out of bed and have a (hopefully) quiet word’; to the sneaky - which could still involve getting up early, but stalking them - finding their cabin, ringing them up at midnight or our bedtime and putting the phone down before they answer. With luck, they’ll then sleep later but they won’t get the message. Wait and see.
So, an early trip to the Horizon Court and a light breakfast – if you can call a fresh waffle with maple syrup and apricots light. For past cruisers, this is one of the minor changes we have noticed. The waffles are now in the hot food section and obviously do not require 100% manning - but the Nutella and other syrups were nowhere to be seen, but it could have been because we were early.
Only two coaches on our tour so a fairly quick run to deck 4 and onto a tender. For the first time, we noted that they were carrying passengers on the tender roof, but as it was still a bit chilly, we crammed inside.
A very warm welcome ashore by local volunteers handing out maps and dispensing advice, but we were straight onto a coach. Forty-one of us. Our coach driver/guide was Dave, a former woodwork teacher and driving instructor who was obviously very proud of this place we’d never heard of before. And rightly so. This half day tour crammed in several stops, the first was at 8:45am – Dunsbrough. Although a welcome comfort stop for some, 15 minutes or so was only just long enough, as most shops weren’t opening until 9am! I did manage a quick purchase and the lady who served me was from Derbyshire! Paula grabbed a bottle of wine – the shop owner must have been surprised when he opened the doors at 9:02am and was nearly trampled by a load of cruisers grabbing bottles.
On then to the old lighthouse - which is now automated – and again, a very short stop, not helped by the fact that it was a 150m walk and they could only take 10 at a time, up the 59 narrow steps and they’d just painted the railings around the top platform. Dave as an ex driving instructor was very proud of his driving, but we had to stop and get the left side driving mirror adjusted – but Dave couldn’t reach. Cue Wolfgang to the rescue. Past cruisers would have recognised him as he is about 6ft 8” tall and we have seen him on at least one if not two previous cruisers.
To canal rocks to see the sea crashing in and an even shorter stop, with the ship’s videographer struggling to set up her tripod and film, move a few yards and then get back to the coach.
We were running a little later than scheduled but there was enough time for the planned Palmer Winery stop for a quick tasting. The 2 sparkling wines were very nice ($20 a bottle) and on a couple of the still wines, they had a pretty good deal. One case for $199 – with an extra case for free. At $8.30 a bottle, I am amazed that 5 or 6 passengers didn’t get together and take advantage and split the 24 bottles between them.
Back at the beachfront about 12:15 and time to wander. The overall impression was of an immaculate, friendly place with a little bit of history, some amazing caves (we didn’t have time for that, but some pretty up there prices. We grabbed a coffee, an orange juice, a meat pie and a panini for $27 at a small side street café – and that was much cheaper than the main street.
The Vintage or car club guys had a few classic cars on display and my first sight of an Australian built Austin Lancer and also an Austin 20, one of the largest old Austins I had seen.
We had to queue for a while for a tender back, but we did sit up top and surprisingly enough, it was quite warm up there. The downside was the smoky exhaust from the diesel which just about choked all those on the rear seat.
A good time for a coffee in the Atrium with Wolfgand and Dannielle before heading to the cabin and then to the early show, juggler magician Justin McKinley. Apart from one very flat segment, a fair act.
Dinner was as usual, pretty good, though the lamb chops were a little thin and therefore overcooked. Just 6 of us at the table.
The late show was another Mark Antony (mainly) Elvis show and in the theatre and was probably slightly better than the first, as the ship wasn’t moving around and he seemed much more relaxed.
No late drink before bedtime – we are missing Mal and Megan as well as Alan and Alana.
A couple of responses to emailed comments from cruisers.
The first was about the laundry. We are quite happy with the service and also the quality, though somehow or other, most of the clothes we wore last year seem to have shrunk a wee bit – whether the ships laundry dealt to them or not. We have no problems sending our stuff, but as with any commercial laundry, it pays to be sensible about what you send.
The solid wooden tables and chairs seem to be left in place, whereas the old plastic stuff was always stacked and roped down. The loungers are all now the metal type not the flimsy white plastic ones, but they still get stacked as before, at night.
The reason for the non-appearance of the officers has now been explained. Past cruisers will remember Cynthia who was always so helpful. Apparently, she didn’t join the ship until Melbourne and had a pile of emails to wade through that hadn’t been dealt with, including one from the Seafarers. She was most apologetic and promised the staff would be in attendance at our next meet and greet on Monday. So, all is well on that front.
Another port day tomorrow – Fremantle. The last time (only time) we were there was for the Australian Masters Games in 1993 so at the moment, we have no idea whether or not we’ll go into Perth, by train or ferry or stay in Fremantle. The weather forecast is OK and we are now expecting it to get warmer, day by day as we head north.
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