Day 1 - 3 Sep 2010

The day dawned bright and clear...actually, no, it was raining...but who cares? I still needed to pack! So we drove to Mayfield to pick up the rental car (which turned out to be some hoon-mobile with mags and lowered something or other-quite random!), packed it up with all our stuff, said goodbye to the grandkids, kids & mother, and then off we set to drive to Sydney. We got as far as Woodrising (about 20 minutes) when Gary realised he had forgotten his “Powerband”, a wonderful invention that will stop him being seasick. (NB – Note the irony later in the story) So, back we go – just as well we had allowed ample time for mishaps – and then we were back on the road.

Dropped the rental car off at Star City, took a cab to Barangaroo Dock, spent 2 hours in various queues and lines (yes, Gaz behaved himself pretty well with only minimal prompting from me), and finally got on board at about 4.15pm. The view from the ship was less than stunning, though we could see the Harbour Bridge...and lots of wharf (what else would one expect when docked at a wharf, I hear you say?)

My luggage had arrived so I set about “baggsing” all the best bits of the closet while Gaz explored the options on our TV and read the info books provided. The room (oops gotta remember to call it a cabin!) is pretty spacious (though I've never been on a cruise before so have no means of comparison). There's a queen size bed, a desk & chair, closet, bathroom, what else could you need...oh yes a balcony – we have one of those too – with two deck chairs & a side table.

The next moment of excitement was the “Muster” emergency drill which took place at 5pm. 7 short blasts & one long blast – don't forget that folks. We are now well versed in all things emergency, including how to jump into the water – pretty much if you remember how to do the dance “The swim” - you've got that covered. We excelled at life jacket donning, and now feel able to face any emergency that may arise with the calm, assurance of two seasoned sailors...NOT. (I can't help but recall the occasion on the BBQ boat at Port Macquarie when a bit of a wind came up and Gaz rang the boat hire people and yelled into the phone “We're f@#ked”)

So, by this time I was starving (surprise, surprise). It was off in search of sustenance – we discovered our assigned restaurant, The Venetian, and as it was “open seating” tonight we sat down at a table for 6 and were soon joined by 3 lovely ladies who hailed from...Newcastle. They have already been on the ship for 104 days – yep, that was not a typo – 104 days. Apparently the Dawn Princess has just been on a “round the world” voyage, and a I guess they just figured “what's another 28 days, let's see Australia too!” So, we were able to fill them in on vital Newcastle news such as the Charlestown Square upgrade, how the Knights are doing etc.

It was around this time (7pm) that things took a turn for the worse. We set sail at 6pm and had been slowly moving down the harbour – under the harbour bridge, past the Opera House. It was dark by then and to be honest I was pretty much focusing on the very nice food (wild mushroom soup, Rockfish & couscous, apple strudel) when I noticed a slightly stronger rocking motion and suggested we were probably going through “the heads”. Soon after Gary turned a paler shade of white, and declared he was not “feeling the best”. I wasn't giving up my dessert for anyone so I said “Cya” and off he went back to the cabin. I arrived soon after – I'm not totally heartless – to hear a conversation he had with the nurse on the phone. It seemed the cacophony of drugs we had brought was no worse than what she could supply, so he dosed himself up and basically hasn't moved since (12 hours ago). Once again, I have no means of comparison, but I do see whitecaps as I gaze outside our balcony door and it is pretty breezy outside, and yep, we're rocking from side to side. Having said that, I feel fine!

So that's Day 1 done and dusted – Let's hope Day 2 goes better for Gaz or Day 3 might be the end of the cruise for us!