Brisbane to Hong Kong Travel Notes
MAR. 11, 2024 – BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA (Day 92)
Doug and Margaret are going on a Trip Interruption until Bali to make sure they can scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef. We got off the ship together and took an Uber to the Novotel Airport Hotel to drop off their luggage. Our goal was to have an encounter with koala bears at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. We had a great Uber driver and the conversation along the way was very entertaining.
Though skies were overcast, we hoped the rain was gone for the day, but it wasn’t. That didn’t dim our enthusiasm as we entered the sanctuary. Just before we got out of the Uber, I had started having an irritation in my right eye. It kept getting worse so the others started out and I went to “wash” my eyes out to remove the irritant. Afterwards, as I set out to find the others, I stopped to see a pair of Lorikeets hanging out along the path. When I found the others, I told them about the birds and we headed back to see if they were still there. Little did we know that a park worker was starting to put out feed in bowls perched on a stick. We were bombarded with flocks of Lorikeets. The sticks were made so people could hold them and the birds were very close as they ate. It was very rewarding to see some kids faces and their response to all the birds. We got some good pictures, here.
Doug and Margaret are going on a Trip Interruption until Bali to make sure they can scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef. We got off the ship together and took an Uber to the Novotel Airport Hotel to drop off their luggage. Our goal was to have an encounter with koala bears at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. We had a great Uber driver and the conversation along the way was very entertaining.
Though skies were overcast, we hoped the rain was gone for the day, but it wasn’t. That didn’t dim our enthusiasm as we entered the sanctuary. Just before we got out of the Uber, I had started having an irritation in my right eye. It kept getting worse so the others started out and I went to “wash” my eyes out to remove the irritant. Afterwards, as I set out to find the others, I stopped to see a pair of Lorikeets hanging out along the path. When I found the others, I told them about the birds and we headed back to see if they were still there. Little did we know that a park worker was starting to put out feed in bowls perched on a stick. We were bombarded with flocks of Lorikeets. The sticks were made so people could hold them and the birds were very close as they ate. It was very rewarding to see some kids faces and their response to all the birds. We got some good pictures, here.
We wandered through the park till we came upon a large fenced in field that contained Kangaroos. We were not aware that this feature was at this park, so it was a very pleasant surprise. We were able to get close enough to pet these unusual animals as they were used to people being around and feeding them. Doug was very pleased to see this as it was a bucket-list item. He wanted to see them out of cages and this fulfilled his wish.
For our finale, we had booked time to have an “encounter” with the koalas. We couldn’t hold them, but we would have a longer experience and still be able to touch and see them up close. They are quite fascinating since they are different from anything we have in the states. It was a great time and the staff made sure that everyone had their chance to interact and get good photos.
My eyes suddenly got better just as we were leaving for downtown Brisbane to find a restaurant for lunch. We started for Betty’s Burgers but opted for an Irish pub, named Gilhooley’s. Good food and drink helped sustain us for a walk through a Botanical Garden nearby. It was time to depart, so we got another Uber to get Doug and Margaret to their hotel and us back to the ship.
I have to mention that our Uber driver, 25yr old Vincens, was so entertaining to visit with. We started talking about American and World events. We listened to his take on what was going on in the world and were impressed by his understanding of political and social issues. I have always said that traveling is really about the people you meet, and we won’t soon forget Vincens. Best of luck to you, young man!
MAR. 12, 2024 – DAY AT SEA (Day 93)
Gwen went to a seminar covering things to do in Arlie Beach and Cairnes (pronounced “kans”). She loves going to line dance classes, so she went to one of those as well. She spent the afternoon waiting in line for tender tickets as we need to get off as early as possible tomorrow. We spent the evening playing cards (Swoop) with Brian and Shari.
MAR. 13, 2024 – AIRLIE BEACH, AUSTRALIA (Day 94)
We arrived early and got on the shuttle to the Port of Arlie Beach. We had a little difficulty communicating with our ride that was to pick us up there. Finally got it sorted out and we went to the airport. We got on a Cessna Caravan airplane and flew out over the islands. The weather was very fickle as it went from sunny to overcast to sunny to rain, but finally decided on sunny when we got to the Great Barrier Reef. We flew over the Heart Reef and we all marveled at the beauty of the the ocean.
We at a restaurant called The Pub back in town, where the food was good, but the waiter spilled salad dressing on Gwen. We still enjoyed the time watching people. The little town had a lagoon where all the swimming was done even though it was only separated by a few feet from the beach. The box jellyfish are a problem here and they hinder ocean swimming but not laying around the beach.
Back on board we watched a magician named Duck Cameron who was very entertaining. We ate at the Windjammer and settled in for a movie (where Gwen promptly fell asleep).
MAR. 14, 2024 – CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA (Day 95)
We booked a Skyrail tram up into the Rain Forest for our trip today. We tendered into Yorkey’s Knob and waited in a bar area for our bus transfer to the Skyrail station. We met some new people (Doug Smith from California and Ann from Colorado) as we visited while waiting for our transfer.
Once we got to the Skyrail base we were escorted to an area to wait for a Diamond tram that we had prepaid to have. It is a special tram that has a glass floor, so you can see down into the rain forest. There were multiple stops on the way up to get off and take short hikes to see the forest and some falls from the Barron River. We really enjoyed the ride up to Kuranda, the village at the top of the mountain.
We got to Kuranda and strolled through the shops and looked for a place to eat. When we finally decided that the first restaurant closest to the tram was the one we wanted to go back to, it had already closed at 2pm. We bought some ice cream sandwiches and started our trek back down the mountain. We barely missed the shuttle back to Yorkey’s Knob, but that turned out to be a blessing as we were able to catch a shuttle directly to the city center, rather than going back to the port and shuttling back in to the city.
There were many opportunities for places to relax and enjoy the views on the shoreline, so we watched as helicopters came in with tour guests. We made 4 more new friends that we had seen on the ship multiple times, but had never really introduced ourselves. We sat having wine and visiting with Kai and Sharon, and Andy and Cheryl. We ended our day with shopping for Christmas ornaments and hats. It really was a relaxing day!
MAR. 15, 2024 – DAY AT SEA (Day 96)
We started our day with photo work and research for our coming European Trip Interruption. We also had choir working on Baba Yetu and Africa songs. We had dinner in the Windjammer with Earl and Sue Williams, who we got to know on our visit back in Grenada, when we went to the orphanage.
The show tonight was a very entertaining guy who used a lot of old toys like yo-yo’s and tops to do tricks. It was fun to see the tricks he could do with bigger and bigger props.
We had a blast playing in a Quiz Master Shuffle game. It was basically a trivia game but every 3 answers we would have to change teams based on some abstract fact. For example, the person with the next birthday had to move up 2 tables, or the oldest and the youngest had to move down 4 tables. It was fun and was totally by chance that anyone won.
After the trivia, they had a live Australian Beatles cover band and we had a dance party. It was a lot of fun as the dance floor was packed and everyone was singing and dancing to Beatle songs.
MAR. 16, 2024 – DAY AT SEA (Day 97)
Same old, same old with choir, photo work and planning our Europe trip. Gwen also attended an Origami class to learn how to make shamrocks and bunnies. It was formal night and we are now on My Time dining, so we ended up meeting a couple from Finland (Jordy and Kaiya) at the next table. My time dining allows you to pick the time you want to eat and that can change nightly. It works out better for us as there were always events going on that we wanted to attend when we were locked in to late dining at 7:45 every evening.
MAR. 17, 2024 – DAY AT SEA (Day 98)
We woke up early and watched a sermon from FelllowshipNWA.com of their King David Series. We then went to our Bible Study where we had great conversation. The entire ship was decorated for St. Patrick’s Day in green balloons.
One of the singers onboard, Patricia Bernier, has a great voice and we enjoy her performances in the Royal Voices shows. She did a small solo performance to pair up with the magician that was brought on board to fill the show time slot. One of the songs she sang was “Never Enough” from The Greatest Showman. It was so good, we had to return to the second show so we could hear it again.
We ended the night in the Centrum for the St. Patrick’s Day party. We danced a few songs and ended our night.
MAR. 18, 2024 – DAY AT SEA (Day 99)
We did laundry, had choir practice, then went to the Crown & Anchor Loyalty Event. It was fun to see familiar faces get nominated for employee of the month. They have 3 categories, Back of House, Front of House, and Management. Dharma and Tiane were both nominated but did not win the overall award, but Kat was nominated and won the Front of House employee of the month. She deserves it, as she is full of energy as one of the activities coordinators and is a cruiser favorite.
We spent the rest of the day watching talks replayed on the TV on Who shot JFK and why, and also Elliot Kalb on sporting events. We just finished out the evening at the Windjammer and booked some AirBNB’s in Ireland.
MAR. 19, 2024 – LOMBOK, INDONESIA (Day 100)
Wow! 100 days at sea and counting! We can’ t believe how quick time has passed since we got on the ship in Miami. In some ways, it just seems like yesterday, but when you dwell upon it, Miami seems like such a long time ago.
Gwen and I had hired a private guide, named Eka to show us around Lombok. We started by going to place where they still weaved tablecloths and runners by hand. Gwen got a chance to give it a go under the watchful eye of her weaver. We decided that the prices were to high for us to buy anything, so we left to go to a Sasak village.
Our tour of the Sasak village was by one of the village members, Kite. He was very proud to show us around and let us not roam the paths between the huts, but to also go into his mother-in-laws house to take pictures. One of his relatives was asleep in a bamboo cot. It was all quite interesting! They intermarry with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd cousins as they stay within the 150 hut community. The huts had roofs of straw and bamboo walls, with floors of clay mixed with dung to keep out mosquitos. They also mixed religions as they continued to observe ancient religious practices with Islam. (The young men were expected to “kidnap” their bride from her parents house to announce their intentions to marry). We ended up buying a table runner here, not only because they were reasonable in price, but also to support this community.
Our final stop was Selena Sunset Point near the shoreline. It rises above Tanjung Aan and Crusoe beaches. We sat and watched the sun slowly set while visiting with Eka. What a relaxing time and the perfect ending for our tour.
MAR. 20, 2024 – BENOA, BALI, INDONESIA (Day 101)
We reunited with “Dough” and “Margareth” as our tour guide, Billy, kept referring to them in our WhatsApp messages. We had been connected with Billy through Dharma, our first waiter on board in Miami. Billy had worked for RCCL in the past and now organized tours for cruise guests.
Our first stop was a Buddhist temple named Vihara Satya Dharma that was fittingly close to the port. It was very ornate and was interesting to look at, but not much else. So many of the images seem to be evil as dragons and serpents permeate the temple walls. It was built for the Sea Goddess Tian Shang Sheng Mu, who is believed to be able to calm the seas.
Our nest stop was similar to what Gwen and I had experienced the day before. This place not only had the weaving we had seen, but they did Batik work, also. They didn’t seem to be quite so price gouging, but we weren’t interested, so we didn’t stay long. It was nice to watch the skill of the woman who were putting the wax on the material.
We kept moving as it seemed we had quite the agenda planned. We stopped at a Hindu temple that Billy attended. It was not the “tourist” temple that the cruise ship tours went to, so it was only us visiting. They are all set up the same way and Billy told us about the ceremony and ritualism for the way it was set up. The funny thing is, there are hundreds if not thousands of these temples all across Bali. I could cross the country hitting golf shots to the next temple is I desired to, and that is not an exaggeration. Even the wealthy homes had their own temple attached. It was amazing to us, how much time, money, and effort was exerted to appease their gods with sacrifices of food and money. There were even basket type receptacles every 30 yards along the road where you could leave offerings.
Billy took us to a Balinese home of a fairly wealthy family that had a Silversmith business and their home behind. Most of the nicer homes had the same layout but some more ornate than others. This one was in a nicer neighborhood as most of the people were Silversmiths. Each type of craftsmanship had their own neighborhood. If you need statues for your temple there was one place in town you would go because all of the shops were located there. Of course, since we toured their house, we were obligated to watch a silversmith craft demonstration of making jewelry and then led into their store. We have noted in our travels over the years that a lot of shops cut deals with tours to bring people to their shops. After leaving, we let Billy know that we weren’t here for shopping.
We headed out of town on our way to the rice fields, but we were stopping at a coffee plantation first. This coffee plantation is different from every other we have ever visited. It is the origin of the most expensive coffee in the world, Kopi luwak. I let you click on the link and read it for yourselves, except to say that it must be passed through an animals intestines before roasting the beans. We toured the facility and saw the trees and the Asian palm civet. We then went for a coffee and tea tasting overlooking the dense trees and jungle type flora. We tried the Kopi luwak coffee, but we weren’t fans. It wasn’t bad, but we prefer the normal coffee we drink everyday. We all seemed to have a favorite tea, though. There was lemon, ginger (which had an afterbite), tumeric, rosella, and pandan.
Lunch was at a restaurant overlooking the rice fields and it was very good. We enjoyed the views and the chance to slow down and relax. We got to catch up with all the things that had happened to all of us since Doug and Margaret got off in Brisbane. We then headed back through the crowded streets of Bali to the port. You were definitely entertained going down this main thoroughfare as along the way is shop after shop. Each shop specialized in a type of artistic craft or goods. It was so interesting. We all thought that there were so many interesting pieces that would be fantastic to have in our homes were it not for the difficulty of getting them there!
MAR. 21, 2024 – DAY AT SEA (Day 102)
Gwen did the usual things after a port day with pictures. I was able to go to a movie after choir and watch an old James Bond movie, SkyFall. We played Euchre most of the evening.
MAR. 22, 2024 – DAY AT SEA (Day 103)
We kind of slept in this morning as we had no commitments today other than a temperature screening for our upcoming Philippines port in Manila. Gwen and I walked around the top deck and marveled at the distant rain formations that our captain seemed to be trying to outrun. We got a few sprinkles but not much.
We enjoyed lunch with Ami and Gustav as we got to know a little more about them. We were lost in our visiting that I was late for my Golf Sim time, AGAIN!
Doug and Margaret met with Naomi to get everything worked out for their trip interruption. They learned some interesting fact about our cruise. When first considering this cruise RCCL was looking at ways to deal with cruisers gaining a lot of weight over the 9 months. That is not happening to the cruiser’s but to the crew. They get the left over food and they are getting way more and better food than normal. RCCL found that world cruisers are using the stairs more (they monitor elevator activity), eat more vegetables, and less desserts than their normal cruises. They have had to drastically alter their normal supply practices.
We ended our Formal evening with a dinner at Giovanni’s and it was superb. Our waiter provided the best service of any wait staff we have had to date, and that is saying something. We had very fresh Caprese Salad, the best tasting Fried Calamari we have ever tasted, Filet Mignon, and Tagliatelle Bolognese and we all got dessert. It was quite a nice dinner followed by our usual card night.
MAR. 23, 2024 – DAY AT SEA (Day 104)
We took a little bit of a break, today. Gwen went out in the sun to relax at the pool deck. She enjoyed the time to swim and read. We attended a Town Hall Meeting they periodically have to keep the “consecutive cruisers” informed about how to transition smoothly over the “turnaround” days. They are not really turnaround days as we just keep going forward! Then it was a laid back dinner in the Windjammer with our Community Group friends, Bryan and Shari with Doug and Margaret.
MAR. 24, 2024 – MANILA, PHILIPPINES (Day 105)
Finally, Gwen gets to visit the Philippines! I was able to go on an 18 day mission trip back in the early 2000’s along with Doug and Margaret. It was very hot and humid as we had mid-90’s temps. We were harassed by some of the tuk-tuk drivers as we walked out of the port. It shows how desperate some of these guys are to make some money for their families.
It is Palm Sunday so we wanted to visit a church to see the locals celebrate. All along the streets there were people braiding palm branches into fancy designs and for people to get blessed at church. It was fascinating to see all the designs. We ended up at the Manila Cathedral. We separated couples and Gwen and I had some time to pray together in the pews. Just some time to contemplate what Jesus was going through and the events that lay before Him as He made his way down the Mount of Olives on the way to Jerusalem. Since we have been to Israel twice now, the Bible comes alive in our minds. We have walked down the road that Jesus would have taken and we can see the view of Jerusalem He would have had. It was our way of worshipping this Palm Sunday.
We walked around the city looking for a place to buy some Ube ice cream. It is a flavor that comes from a root and Gwen has heard us talk about it over the years. She wants to try it. Well, we couldn’t find anything so we went our separate ways. Gwen and I got a Tuk-Tuk to give us a short 1 hour tour around the old city. We stopped by the Asean Gardens, San Augustin Church, San Diego Fort, San Diego Gardens, and Rizal Park. We tour a lot of gardens and churches! We ended our tour with ice cream, but unfortunately, they didn’t have Ube flavor. We still have some Philippine ports in our future so maybe another day.
We have to comment on our current captain, Capt. Kjell (pronounced Shell). He and his wife made the decision to not have children and to treat the staff as family. He goes out of his way to do things nice for all the staff on the ship. Today, since many of the staff are from Manila and the Philippines, he is allowing their families to come on board and tour the ship. The even had an event with food for a chance to meet the captain and officers. It was so much fun to see the families in awe of the decoration and design of the ship. We sat in the Schooner Bar with a new couple we met (Zane and Janet from Ohio) and played trivia and name that tune. Then we attended the Filipino Cultural Show to close out the evening.
MAR. 25, 2024 – SUBIC BAY, PHILIPPINES (Day 106)
Our second stop in the Philippines and there were musicians and dancers on the dock to welcome us! They were playing when the ship was docking, so it became our wakeup call.
We didn’t have a lot planned for today. We got a taxi and headed into town. Gwen wanted to see a lighthouse and get pictures. Our driver, Dennis, was very helpful to get us to a place to get pictures. We then went to look around in a mall that was close to the place where we had booked massages for all of us and a pedicure for Margaret and a facial for Gwen. We looked all over the mall for a curling iron for Margaret, but finally gave up and went to a Burger King for snack, then walked down the block to our massages.
Spasify had 4 massage therapists waiting for us. It was a little warmer inside the building than we are used to, but the massages were good. We were able to get all the treatments for less than $70US. We tipped them well since it was so cheap. They were so fascinated to have us. We later found out that we were the first cruise ship that has been in port since Covid. No wonder they wanted to take so many pictures with us.
We called Dennis to give him more business and he took us back to the ship. The vendors were still there even though it was close to all aboard time. We still had money left over and didn’t want to exchange it back. We hate exchanging money back as we have already lost a percentage to get it and would rather give it to the locals than to lose money exchanging back. We went from tent to tent trying to buy something from as many as we could. We ended up with t-shirts, nuts, and teas, along with some trinkets.
Andrew and Ale Kenney joined us for dinner and afterwards, Doug, Andrew, and I hung out to talk about end times prophecy. Andrew has a theology degree, but has not really studied much on end times. We had a great conversation while the girls went to the show. The got to see a group called Goddess. The singer, Monique Luaihati, in the group was a runner-up on both The Voice and X-Factor in the Philippines.
MAR. 26, 2024 – DAY AT SEA (Day 107)
Gwen wasn’t feeling well with some sinus issues and hoarseness. She couldn’t sing at choir practice, so she still went but sang her parts in her head. We relaxed most of the day working on photos and future port research. In the evening we saw a Comedian, Juggler, Magician named Nick Nicholas. Gwen and I ate with Bryan and Shari while Doug and Margaret ate in Specialty Dining with a free meal comp for having to deal with water on their carpet.
MAR. 27, 2024 – HONG KONG, CHINA (Day 108)
We navigated 2 city buses to get to our meeting point with a local student we had hired for the day. Malaika, was a friend of a friend that we have in Hong Kong. We met for lunch, but had to go to a second option as the first was closed for Ramadhan. We walked through some street markets to get to Din Tai Fung. After lunch, we took a “Ding-Ding” Tram (an historic tram) to the “longest escalator in the world”. It goes up a mountain side to an historic prison that has been turned into an artistic area and prison museum.
We headed to the Lady’s Market where we ended up buying a Christmas ornament and a backpack that was medium sized. We went on to the pet and fish market, which was very interesting. After looking at some dogs and cats, we went where they sell different types of fish for aquariums in plastic bags. Some of the aquarium designs were amazing. Then on to a flower market to marvel at the beauty of all the different types of flowers.
It was time to rest a little as we had been walking most of the day. We went to a very nice hotel that had a rooftop bar and we ordered some drinks and an appetizer of the chicken wings. Once rested, we headed through a large mall to get to the subway as we made our way toward the bay front. We walked pass the famous Peninsula Hotel that costs way more than we usually pay, then went on to another traditional Hong Kong cafe. It is amazing to me that wait staff can be so rude and noncaring, yet the cafe survives. They do not explain anything and you have to raise your had to even get wait staff to come to the table. We did get the ordering sorted out, but we didn’t have eating utensils. After finally getting someone’s attention, we were shown a secret drawer under the table for utensils and napkins. When the meal was over, I went to pay and they told us they only accept Hong Kong dollars with no foreign cash or credit cards! We didn’t have enough cash! Malaika, ended up figuring out how to transfer money from her bank to an online app they accepted. We almost ended up washing dishes!
We made our way to the bay to see a laser and light show on the downtown buildings. It was nice, but nothing really exciting. It is interesting that a lot of the newer buildings are adding lights and designs. It makes for a beautiful cityscape.
Two more buses and we were back at the harbor. There was another cultural show and we finished the nights in a more quiet area of the ship, the Safari Lounge. What a long (but interesting) day as we all had over 22,000 steps on our phones and watches.
MAR. 28, 2024 – HONG KONG, CHINA (Day 109)
Our 5th of 17 legs completed. See Leg 6 Notes for comments! Turnaround Day
Got a Question?
Feel free to ask us any travel questions or anything you would like to know about specific pictures.
Brian and Gwen,
Hello!! I’m just seeing that I can keep track of y’all on your trip. I had been just looking at your pictures on Facebook when I noticed that I could go to this site and see more and read more about your daily activities, etc..
I think it’s absolutely tremendous that you can take this trip around the world together! I read with interest your Christian community group. Did you start that? I’m so thankful that the ship allows you all to do this openly!
I was wondering about the choir, too. How did you get involved in that and is this something that you started as well?
I know that you’re a great Christian witness, and the Lord is using you in mighty ways! God bless you guys and prayers continue as you travel and impact the world, literally!!
Jo Jones
We are traveling with another couple and it was a goal of ours to start this community group. We knew that we would need this, since there are no church services. One way or another we met two other couples that were like minded and started our group. We just meet in the Vortex of our ship which has a big circular couch and some other chairs. We’re not allowed to reserve it, but so far it has worked out for us to meet there. Little by little we added more to our group and now we have around 29 members. We meet roughly every week, but pick sea days and the day of the week changes. I know there is also another group that meets to pray, but I haven’t been able to join them because of choir practice.
As far as the choir, it was not our idea, but Royal Caribbean’s. They actually hired a guy to be our director. He also plays the piano as one of the entertainers. We’ve performed twice, first at Christmas and then about a month ago some sea shanties. Now we are working on Africa and Baba Yetu (The Lord’s Prayer in Swahili).
Thank you for your comments and prayers.