2020 Half-World Voyage – Leg 4: Australia and Homeward

Leg 4:  Australia and homeward bound

We experienced some rough seas for the first of two sea days as we made our way west to Sydney, Australia. Fortunately for passengers, the worst of it was overnight while everyone was in their bunks asleep. Improved weather filled in by daybreak of day two.

Sydney, Australia – At dawn on March 7, the Amsterdam rounds The Heads, the imposing rock cliffs that guard the entrance from sea to harbor. As we continue up the channel, we pass the spectacular Sydney Opera House on our port side, and then beneath the iconic Harbor Bridge, with scant clearance above us. Morning walkers on the bridge wave and cheer our arrival as they look straight down the few feet onto our decks. A thrilling experience from either perspective! The rising sun peeks through the broken morning clouds, sending a ray of light upward seemingly from the bridge’s massive pylons. Quite a glorious ‘Down Under’ welcome.

Onward past downtown and Circular Quay to White Bay, where we will be docked for the next 2 days. 

Our ship is cleared by The Port and we can disembark, proceeding through Australian Immigration housed in the modern cruise ship terminal. It is a quick process, despite the ongoing coronavirus scare. All that was required was signing a form that declared we had not traveled in a known area of virus, and that we had not had any signs of illness or fever in the past 14 days. In no time, we board our coach bus and wind through Sydney before reaching the eastbound expressway that takes us to today’s destination, the Blue Mountains.    Along the way, we stop at the Featherdale Wildlife Park to walk amongst free-range kangaroos and open pens for the koalas allowing us to be right next to them. No cages. This natural habitat park is home to tree kangaroos, crocodile, emu, cassowary, dingo, penguins, giant pelicans, owls, parrots, and many other birds. Quite a nice 1.5 hour stop.

Another hour’s drive brought us to the town of Katoomba, home of the Blue Mountains.
Our fingers had been crossed all morning, given the overcast weather with a few sprinkles. Unfortunately, as we pulled into town, we were engulfed in fog. But by the time we walked down to the lookout at Echo Point, the fog began to break up and the rock pinnacles of Three Sisters appeared across the gorge. The view is expansive, and very much like our Blue Ridge Mountains in the U.S. However, the blue mist here is created by the prevalent eucalyptus trees in this region.

From Echo Point, we take a ride on the steepest rail (I think in existence!) for just shy of 2 minutes. The rail car plummets us about 400 feet down at an incline of 52°. If it were not for the padded knee brace in front of us, we would have all slid off our bench seats. It was a short, but exhilarating experience! It lands us deep into a thick rain forest environment, and we stroll along a boardwalk for about 20 minutes before boarding a cable car. Now we ascend the steep hill and across the great gorge, with an incredible view of a waterfall, before returning from where we started at Echo Point. It was a spectacular way to experience this enormous valley of Australia!

Lunch was enjoyed at a local Olde inn, followed by the drive back. Their houses, shopping, highways are all remarkably similar to the US, right down to Costco and McDonalds.
Sydney Day 2    The overcast skies remain as we head out to explore parts of Sydney that we hadn’t seen last year. From Darling Harbour, we jump on a ferry to Milson Point by Luna Park, their micro amusement park on the north side of Sydney. Our plan is to walk back up and over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. But first, we enjoy everything this neighborhood has to offer: quaint sidewalk cafes, a lively artisan market under a bridge archway, lovely greenspaces and food vendors tempting you with crepes, Turkish wraps, coffee, smoothies, etc. Families, strollers, and dogs are everywhere; what a fantastic neighborhood! We caved in for cappuccinos and warm, fresh banana bread that fueled us for our 3,770 ft. walk across the iconic bridge. Great views of the city and Opera House, and a very friendly parrot that practically posed for his picture.

Coming off the bridge, we are now in “The Rocks”, one of the old, original settlements of Sydney. Wonderful old brick buildings and pedestrian streets are such a natural place for the sizeable artisan market that is in full swing when we get there.  We eventually migrate back to Darling Harbour, place some calls to home, and enjoy some refreshments. Including a few incredibly old and renowned establishments across the Pyrmont Bridge, like Bridge Bar and the Pegleg Inn & Tavern (est. 1856), where owner Manuel provided some good conversation.

The Amsterdam departs Sydney under cloudy skies that do not seem to dampen the mood of the festive sailaway as we all snap our departing photos from the aft deck.

We are at sea for two days before reaching Townsville, Australia, considered by locals as the unofficial capital of North Queensland.

It is also home to some of the world’s largest copper, zinc, and nickel refineries. And the war movie, “Beneath Hill 60” was filmed here, a story of the detonation of 21 tunnels during WWII in Belgium. Belgium aside, Townsville played a major role in the Battle of the Coral Sea, with many historical artifacts and memorabilia residing in the Townsville War Museum. Outfitted in raincoats and umbrellas, we arrived at the museum in the morning drizzle and wandered the numerous exhibits, monuments, cannons, and informational plaques strewn about the cliffside property. Inside the museum, we were greeted by friendly and enthusiastic volunteers who are very dedicated to Townsville’s history and delivered an interesting tour.

The skies cleared as we left the museum to find a quick bite for lunch along The Strand. It was nice to be back in this pleasant little town!

The next morning, we arrive in Cairns, Australia, March 12. Unfortunately, the overcast skies and rain bands that we have experienced over the past several days are being generated by a small and weak cyclone that is spinning just northeast of us. The forecast estimates that it will be a Category 2 but heading away from us and our intended direction.

Having visited Cairns last year, we had no agenda, especially in this weather. We stopped in at Avis Rental Car, but even the agent confessed that in this rain, there was no good destination worth the effort. She claimed that this sort of weather brought on landslides. Okay, heard enough. Onward we march with our umbrellas until we came upon The Dome Wildlife attraction above the casino. A cheap admission got us in the entrance of this big dome atrium filled with a menagerie of cockatoos, parrots, ducks, crocodiles, snakes, and koalas. We even got to pet a freshwater alligator and python snake. Still better than a landslide. The bright spot of today (or should I say the dry side!) was making calls to home from Hemingway’s Brewery, conveniently located right next to the ship.

Tonight’s social hour and dinner was especially chatty amongst fellow passengers. Banter was endless, given President Trump’s address to the nation regarding Covid 19, travel bans from any foreign national and the speculation of Amsterdam’s course going forward. Up until now, the coronavirus was something that seemed very removed to us aboard; China was in trouble and it was beginning to explode in Italy. But elsewhere there seemed to only be handful of cases. Certainly, none that we heard about throughout the South Pacific, New Zealand and only a few cases in Australia. And the Amsterdam had not had any interchanges of crew or new passengers, so we continued to be an isolated (safe) environment amongst ourselves. But clearly, ports that lie ahead were becoming questionable. Rumors that Seychelles had closed their port was still unconfirmed. We all figured that our ports in South Africa would also be a big maybe. Some folks thought that perhaps we would circumnavigate Australia, the South Island of New Zealand, north to Hawaii, then through Panama Canal to return to Ft Lauderdale. No doubt, there would be much more to unfold …

Cairns is the jumping off spot for those exploring The Great Barrier Reef and The Ribbon Reef Region. For the next two days, we cruise the turquoise waters and dodge around pristine spits of sand.

You may be wondering how we spend our time during all these sea days. A typical sea day would start with an hour or two of exercise; either in their well-appointed fitness facility or fresh-air walking around Deck 3 or 9. This year, I also discovered Pickleball and weather permitting (including sometimes fierce wind of Deck 9!), we had a pretty good group of us that would play.  Following breakfast, there is usually a mid-morning presentation on an upcoming port held in the Mainstage Theater room. The ship also features many guest speakers on a wide variety of interesting topics. There are also daily computer tips, photo enhancement classes, etc., provided in the Microsoft Digital Workshop. After lunch in The Lido, I may join the Watercolor Painting group, while Tom heads out to the aft deck pool to swim, read and watch the sea roll by. Tom swims for about 45 minutes, attached to his bungee-style harness that keeps him in place within the pool. I will catch up with him on the aft deck later in the afternoon. Then it’s a quick nap before happy hour, dinner, and nightly entertainment. Lots of comedians, magic, musicians, dance troupes, etc.

And we are not void of chores…. a weekly visit is made to the coin operated laundry room. And every few weeks, I would cut Tom’s hair on one of the deserted back decks. Life aboard is never dull. And it was about to get even more interesting…..

We ply our way around the north side of Australia and the Torres Strait heading for our intended port of Darwin. However, on March 16, Captain Mercer announces that due to the pandemic, the Amsterdam will bypass Darwin and head directly to Freemantle (Perth), where all passengers must disembark and fly home. The decision to terminate all cruises worldwide for 30 days comes from the Cruise Lines International Association. We were fortunate to have received special permission from Freemantle to disembark there, since we could certify that no one aboard had the virus. Two other ships had been turned away prior to us.
So, we all scrambled for flights as airlines were drastically slashing their international services. It was a very fluid situation between our ship and the Australian Border Force, and not without some stress.

While the news of our cruise termination may not have come as a surprise to passengers (given all the BBC, Fox and MSNBC feeds we have access to) the news did instill some level of panic to those aboard who cannot fly easily due to mobility or other health challenges. Not to mention trying to make flight arrangements via less-than-optimal internet access or functionality. Those who booked flights through Holland America Line (HAL) would be taken care of by HAL. The rest of us are to make our own arrangements. The ship did allow us to use their ship-to-shore phone to call Delta Airlines, but after being on hold for one hour, we gave up.

It took us 2.5 hours to book our tickets on the Delta website, having had to start over several times due to lost connections. It was arduous and stressful, but we were relieved when it was finally accomplished. Our itinerary would take us from Perth to Sydney to Los Angeles to Minneapolis and then LaCrosse. About 34-hour journey. Meanwhile, the front desk area was short of pandemonium with passengers hurling endless questions and aggravations aimed at the poor Guest Services personnel, who were doing their best. It was a tsunami of anxiety, conjecture, irritation, anger, and desperation. It was a tense situation for everyone, with an ultimate deadline that was just days away.

NOTE: The next few days journal entries (through March 20) describe the daily roller coaster of ship/port updates, as well as the saga of obtaining outbound flights. Should you choose to skip the shipboard drama, you may scroll down and rejoin the story on March 21!)

March 17 – I woke early and was stunned to find an email from Delta, informing us that they had cancelled our flight from Sydney to Los Angeles. And ominously the usual, “but we have automatically rebooked you on flight…” was not there. Crap. Now what? And the morning news was just as dire: that Australian Airlines would cease all international flights within days, certainly by month end. The Delta website was useless, incessantly showing, “There are no flights matching your criteria” regardless how many alternatives I entered. We went directly back to the Guest Services lobby, a zone now lathered up into utter chaos. We lined up behind a man who was on hold with Delta, who said he would pass the Delta agent on the phone to us when he was through. After his 45-minute hold, he finally spoke with an agent who conveyed that the soonest flight out would be April 16 (a month from now). He took it, handed the phone to us and we did the same…at least as a back-up flight if we could find nothing else. We knew that the borders likely would be closed by then, but we continued to review local hotels, as well as other airlines, searching for our Plan B, C, D, etc.

The challenges of the ships poor internet, coupled with the expense of ship-to-shore rates, left Guest Services completely overwhelmed in this situation. Eventually, the Captain announced that to help everyone out, HAL would now agree to book flights for those who booked themselves originally, but still did not have new outbound arrangements. We completed the required form and indicated that while we did have outbound flights for April 16, clearly that date was unacceptable to both Australian Immigration, and to us. The Guest Services rep agreed and said they would take care of us. OK. Good- It was such a relief, and we relaxed once more.

With lots of nervous energy to burn, and only 5 more days left aboard, I began organizing and packing. On the 22nd, we would be docked and on the 23rd, an empty Amsterdam would leave port. Flights or no flights. At least packing made me feel useful in an otherwise helpless feeling situation. And good that I started, as it took more sorting and discarding than I thought. A few months of stuff can pile up!

March 18 – Each passing day, hour and mile that put us closer to Perth, came with many more updates from HAL’s Captain and staff. Including: the Australian Border Force may not allow us to disembark in Perth after all. [Gasp] This ended up being reversed later that day but was an example of just how fluid a situation it was. Ultimately, Captain announced that we would now arrive Perth on March 21 (instead of the 22nd), with Amsterdam still sailing away on the 23rd. We still had no word on any updated flights for us and were advised to be patient as Guest Services were incredibly busy with rebookings. We understood. But the waiting, unknowing, became increasingly difficult. More packing. And yet we were unsure whether to keep out at least clothes to get us through to April 16, if indeed we needed to remain in-country for that flight (which certainly could end up being cancelled). At least we did find a local hotel in Freemantle, should we need it.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinners passed by numbly. Not in the mood for a show or piano bar, we decided to get some fresh air and open space away from all the anxious, doomsday-minded passengers. It was a beautiful night at sea as we climbed up the stairs from Deck 9 to the forward top deck, normally deserted. There was only one other couple, and I was delighted to see that it was one of the ships speakers, Captain Tom Anderson, and his wife. Just a few days prior, he spoke on the astronomy of the southern hemisphere, including the beloved Southern Cross. He was just as delighted to find us up there to share his knowledge and provide us a personal tour of tonight’s sky! In addition to seeing the Southern Cross, its coal sack, Alpha-, Beta- and Gamma-Centauri’s, we even saw a Magellanic Cloud. And the most brilliant Milky Way we have ever seen. After the stresses of the day, this proved to be a magical night. The next day I ran into Capt Anderson again, and he confessed that in all his years of star gazing, it was one of the best displays he has ever seen; that we were very lucky.

March 19 – Two days until reaching port. No word on flight tickets. Guest Services assured us that our form had been transmitted to Seattle and they were working on it. We should have something tomorrow, they said.

Many on board had hopes that we could all simply ride the ship back to Florida. Sadly, that could not be, due to uncertainties of ANY remaining open ports, if even just to refuel or reprovision. Most ports were not even allowing access for any passenger emergency requiring medivac due to stroke, heart attack, etc. Given the age demographic aboard, this could be a high probability in the month or more it could take to get back to USA.)

The medi-vac reality came into play this evening aboard the Amsterdam. A passenger suffered a stroke, and fortunately for them we were just offshore Geraldton, Australia, and reachable by medi-vac. The helicopter flew out to Amsterdam, lowered the basket for the passenger and they were off quickly to the mainland. Very sobering.

March 20 – The Captain announced that batches of flights were expected today. Be patient; they would be delivered to your cabin. At least we had the 2pm Crew Show to look forward to and take our minds off flights. Even so, Tom left the one hour show twice to visit our cabin to see if anything had arrived. Nothing. By late afternoon, we urged Guest Services to look for the faxed copy of our flight request. Minutes, more minutes passed by, with looks of confusion on the face of our aide. Finally, she looked in the pile that had not been faxed, due to having flights (albeit 4/16!). The sympathetic Guest Services Manager acknowledged their oversight and had us complete another form, mentioning no prior flights, and she would fax it to Seattle as “urgent need”. (I guess that’s what we get for doing the right thing and listening to the first aide telling us to list the 4/16 flight-) The roller coaster of emotions continues. And so do the updating announcements, stating that there would be NO HOTEL STAYS permitted by the Australian authorities. We would all be escorted from ship, directly to airport, regardless of how many days until your flight. (That underscored that we would not be using those 4/16 tickets!) Furthermore, the Australian Border Force was controlling and limiting the number of hours they were clearing people disembarking from the ship. For instance, their hours tomorrow would be 8-9am, even if you had an 11pm flight. And those passengers who thought they would stay in-country for a few days (or weeks) were now scrambling to find alternative travel plans. HAL and Australian authorities were strongly recommending immediate departure flights. Another tense day.

March 21 – Amsterdam pulls alongside the Freemantle docks as we watch from the Crow’s Nest. Freemantle is the more industrial port, adjacent to Perth. If it weren’t such a tense time, we would be enjoying this sail-in. But knowing this was our last port –the end of the line—and we still had no suitable means of getting home, we almost dreaded this last landfall.
We were waiting at Guest Services at 8am when they opened. And our knees nearly gave out when they admitted that our “urgent need” fax was discovered unsent. We had nothing, yet we would be disembarking tomorrow. One of our friends who was in the same predicament as we, had just entered the Supervisors Office (which was our next stop). The Supervisor called us to join in, apologizing profusely and declared she would have tickets to us by noon today. She gave us her cell phone number and invited us to call her hourly if we would like. As promised, she personally delivered our flight itinerary to our cabin, and again apologized. W-H-E-W-!!

Our flight leaves in less than 24 hours, so it was back to finalizing our packing. Looking at our itinerary more closely and seeing Business Class (allowing 70 lbs for luggage), I repacked and got in a few items that I had been prepared to leave behind due to weight restrictions. By afternoon, we were fully packed and truly in need for some comedy relief and happy hour with friends!
Many goodbyes tonight and promises of staying in touch. Early to bed for a full day tomorrow. We placed three bags outside our cabin door before retiring for the night.

March 22 – After breakfast, we gathered our carry-ons and made our way to the gangway. It seemed surreal that this turned out to be such a sudden end and exit. As we had our key cards scanned for the last time, we step out to Deck 3 and walk through the gauntlet of staff that had assembled on both sides of the deck, all there with emotional goodbyes and hugs. It was very moving. And fast. We breezed through the Australian Border Force, collected our 3 bags, and boarded a coach for the Perth Airport.

Perth to Melbourne to LAX to Chicago O’Hare to LaCrosse; a 34-hour journey between Qantas and American Airlines. As we deplaned in Melbourne, medical personnel in ‘haz-mat’ suits greeted us on the jet bridge, giving us all some scrutiny. Our next flight was 13 hours, from Melbourne to Los Angeles. At least our Qantas business class seats allowed the flight to be fairly restful. We found all airports to be practically deserted, including Customs & Immigration when we landed in LAX, and we were through within 15 minutes. After Melbourne’s suspicious reception of our flight from Perth, we anticipated similar health screens or scrutiny, but there was none. On our last flight from O’Hare to La Crosse, Wisconsin, there were only 6 passengers on a flight that would hold 50. Eerie, and it sadly reminded me of 9/11.

March 23 – Tom and I arrived back in good health. We are grateful for our freedom to travel, but are always happy to return to US soil, and the comfort of our home. Quite content to be hunkering down now and doing many home projects.

Hopefully, the world will soon contain the spread of Covid-19 and we can all get back to a normal existence! What an unprecedented time.

We pray you and yours remain healthy and safe. Keep calm and carry on! This too, shall pass-