Our final days at sea

 Day 17 – Wellington, New Zealand

Wellington is known for its high winds, and we were expecting this and rain which is what was forecasted. We were surprised at what we really got. Bright sunshine, warm weather and very little wind. We strolled around Wellington in the downtown core and along the waterfront.  A restaurant we found for breakfast had this little elevator inside, we did not know what it was for, but it was interesting.

Wellington was not expecting the first cruise ship of the season to arrive for another 3 weeks when the call came in that we were diverting to their port. The excursion desk got about 4 or 5 excursions put together and 22 shuttle buses to take cruise passengers into the city core, free of charge to us vacationers.

We left our port around 3 pm and watched as we left New Zealand through the Cook Strait. If you check out a map of New Zealand, you can see the two islands with the Cook Strait in between them.  Just to give you an idea, it took us 7 hours to travel this strait between both islands before we finally entered the Tasman Sea.

It was Halloween on this night, we had forgotten about Halloween, but not the crew or many of the guests on board. The children here and many adults were dressed up in some great costumes and one of the lounges on board, Boleros, was converted into a haunted house with crew members inside ready to scare the pants off anyone who entered. Folks were lined up to get in there all night.  For the children on board, they were given a map to travel around the ship with, along with their parents, to find crew members for trick or treating where each one had some candies for them. Royal Caribbean really go a long way to do things for the guests on board. Adult Halloween dances and parties were going all night long.

Day 18 – The Tasman Sea, (the Ditch)

An Australian fellow we met in line while waiting to get off in Wellington, heard us commenting on how good this trip has been with only 1 day of a bit of a rough ride.  He turned to us and said wait until we get to the Ditch, (the Tasman Sea). High winds can make it a rough ride and the captain had already told us that we might see 6 to 8 meters (18 to 24+ feet) waves.

This morning we went through a cold front. It was cloudy but after we passed through, the skies cleared and the sun was shining, although the winds outside kept us by the pool in the solarium. It was nice and warm there.

The management team do a lot, not just for us passengers but they are very appreciated of the staff here on board. One way we have discovered is that there are many crew members on board who sing, play musical instruments and enjoy their time off.  So, the man in charge of the hotels (rooms) and accommodation on board, asked some willing staff members if they would put on a show for the guests.  We watched the 3^rd of 4 performances in the large theatre and we must say that while these folks are not professional performers, they have put on 3 great shows.  The theatre has been packed full for these shows which are all different, being performed by crew members from different parts of the world. The Philippines and Indonesia performed for the first night, night 2 were members from Thailand and today we watched a great singing show from members of the wait/culinary staff who have been serving us meals. We think this is such a great way for the staff to be showcased to the passengers and everyone gives them standing ovations for their performances.  The members then come out after the show where they pose for pictures with anyone, and it just seems to bring passengers and crew members so close together. Everyone has really enjoyed the shows and are shocked that the persons who serve meals or clean the table put on such a great show. Once again, we see this with Royal Caribbean which is why this is our preferred cruise line.

We had a specialty dinner tonight in a restaurant called Wonderland. Basically, this was a meal in the world of the Mad Hatter, from Alice in Wonderland, a unique experience here on the Ovation of the Seas.

The menu came which was a blank piece of paper in a frame. We were given paint brushes and a glass of water and we had to paint this menu to actually see it.

We let our waiter guide us through the menu and began with appetizers, Tomato Water, in a test tube to be taken as a shot of alcohol. Very tasty. Next came Crispy Crab Cones, small, tiny cones filled with a hint of wasabi, crab meat and topped with avocado.

The main course started with Liquid Lobster a small piece of lobster in a spoon filled with Bone Marrow and topped with caviar. We ordered Halibut, which was cooked in a clear paper bag that was cut open after it was served with mushrooms, potatoes and a mushroom sauce, all inside the bag. We had also heard that the short rib was good, which I mentioned to our waiter, so he brought out a piece for us to try. Delicious.

Finally, desert, I ordered Apple Crumble which was unique and Barb had something called Around the World, which came out as a chocolate ball. The waiter poured hot caramel sauce over the ball which caused it to melt, revealing ice cream over chocolate cake and popcorn, not all covered in the melted chocolate.  Oh, and the drinks were amazing as well.

Day 19 – Our final day at sea

So, the Ditch kind of lived up to it’s name, waves were up to 21 feet, the boat was rocking. We didn’t sleep well, but we both agreed, it was more the food we had and the drinks. We were quite full going to bed.

The winds settled down and waves calmed the closer we were getting to Sydney and the ship held a 30-minute party in the Royal Esplanade of the ship to celebrate arriving in Australia. Most passengers on board were from Australia so it was a bit of a coming home party with many songs and a balloon drop at the end.  So much fun.

So, we will pack up and sadly leave this 16-storey ship that has been our home for the past 19 days.  We enjoyed every minute of our cruise!