The Cup Cruisers (in alphabetical order)

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Len and Judy ALTMAN

Phil and Paula FOORD

Bob and Diane INMAN

John and Pauline JACKSON



Peter and Pat KOPPERS



Barry and Edith MEALING



Chris and Vicki ODMAN



Clive and Lorraine RATTRAY



Jack and Fay RUTLEDGE



Robyn SCOTT and Melinda BRANCOURT



Peter and Janet WILLIAMS

Day 1 - The Departure

We were greeted with a fine, yet slightly overcast day on the day of our departure.

The first Cup shock came with the 'late scratching' of Ian Scott. He was ably replaced however by daughter Melinda and the cruising party were safe in the knowledge that their shower rose wouldn't 'mysteriously' disappear.

The majority of us met at Rosemeadow Drive for a shuttle bus trip to the dock, the 'non-residents' parking their cars in the visitors area, relying on Barry to pull rank and avoid us receiving a 'nasty' letter under the wiper blade or worse still, being wheel clamped over the next 7 days.

According to Chris and Peter, sitting down back in the stalls, Clive directed the driver to take the long way round, but we still arrived in plenty of time to check-in, board and have a beer in our hand before setting off in a spectacular exit to Sydney Harbour....






As we moved slowly away from our mooring in Darling Harbour, the mighty Harbour Bridge was clearly in our sights, yet from our lofty position on the pool deck, it didn't seem as high as it usually does....




The closer we got, the lower it seemed until we passed underneath it with just a few metres to spare. We were glad the ship was full and thought the subsequent ballast may have helped us slip underneath....



Some Bridge climbers got lucky and enjoyed a close up view of the pool deck and the excited voyagers at the start of the trip....



As we passed under the Bridge, we glanced towards the quay and noticed the 'Rhapsody of the Seas' in port, loading up for a 10 day cruise to New Caledonia and Vanuatu....



From our high vantage point we were able to get a slightly different view of the Opera House that a few of our cruising party are familiar with from the deck of the 'Doegon'....




The city skyline under greying skies....



A look back at the magnificent harbour as we make our way past the Eastern Suburb Harbour beaches, bound for the heads....



And finally a long view of the city skyline as we say goodbye to Sydney for a week....



The ship approached the heads, the party began and tunes began being belted out by an energetic Caribbean band....





Before nightfall set in, everybody took the opportunity to let the hair down, enjoy a few beers and cocktails and look forward to a week of relaxation....







The 'Cup Cruise 2008' was underway!!!!

Day 2 - At Sea, bound for the Cup

Day 2 was a day of discovery for most of us, wandering the ship and getting our bearings.

The cabins were quite decent in size for a ship. Some of the group had balconies, but the majority had portholes and layouts similar to these pics....





In the morning most of us found our way to 'The Dome' on Level 14. This was the venue for the nightclub, but today it was the place to buy your sweepstakes tickets for the Cup....






It was a very warm day and heaps of people took the opportunity to bathe in the pools and the sunshine....






After a fairly relaxing day, most of the group headed for the 'International Showroom' for bingo....





After bingo, most went to their cabins to prepare for the Formal Dinner evening. Clive and I stayed in the Showroom for the drawing of the sweepstakes. Four couples in the group drew horses in the sweepstakes which was worth $2,470 to the winner of the $5 sweep. Bob and Diane drew Zipping, Peter and Janet drew Yellowstone which was subsequently scratched, John and Pauline drew Red Lord and Clive and Lorraine drew C'est Le Guerra which ran third, collecting them $420. It is unclear whether Clive has seen his share at time of posting of this blog entry.

After dinner we attended the show and went to bed preparing to awaken in the morning in Melbourne. We were awoken in the morning alright, but not quite in the manner we had anticipated....

Day 3 - In Melbourne, although for a few minutes around 04:15.....

Day 3 started as eventful as any.

At approx 04:15 whilst entering Port Phillip Bay and a few hours out of Melbourne, the ship lurched violently to port, leaning over at 45 degrees and throwing anything not nailed to the table flying onto the cabin floor. Drawers flung themselves open and the whole episode awoke nearly everybody on the ship. After what seemed like ages but was probably less than a minute, the ship slowly righted itself and continued on it's journey. Some of the group needed cabin floors cleaned of broken glass and everybody had a story to tell at breakfast. Even at this stage, no definitive explanation has been offered for what happened.

After breakfast everybody went their separate ways with a large group heading into Melbourne for the 'Melbourne Cup Parade' of past winners and the jockeys, trainers and some owners of the 2008 Cup driven down Swanston Street in convertibles.

A few images of Melbourne.

Crown Entertainment Complex (Casino)....



Yarra River....



Famous Melbourne Tram....



Many of the group took the opportunity to 'eat out' in Melbourne on this night, probably conceding that after the Cup tomorrow we may be too tired, too drunk or possibly both.

As we made our way back to the ship, I noticed an oddly named tanker had moored in the region. I wondered if they renamed the tanker after a similar experience to ours this morning?....



A reasonably early night for most, after all, tomorrow is THE day, Cup Day.