First day of Sailing

On Monday morning, we checked out of the hotel and took a bus (with the group) to the cruise terminal. We had one last view of the Sydney harbor with the Opera House, Harbor Bridge, etc. from the bus. We had a great time in the beautiful city of Sydney.

We were expecting to wait in long lines and pretty much go through a somewhat lengthy process to board the cruise ship. It is a very large ship with thousands of cruisers and so we expected it to take hours for the check in process to board the ship. We were pleasantly surprised that the boarding process was quick and everything went very smoothly. We had to stop at a number of stations - baggage tag, baggage drop, passport check, security, etc. - but each line was very quick and they were very well organized. A great way to start the cruise.

Celebrity Edge

Since it was around noon when we boarded, we made our way to one of the "embarkation restaurants" and had a nice meal. We walked around the ship and enjoyed seeing some of the interesting things on board, such as a "cabana" seating area. 

Also there are a number of pools on board. The pools have a chair right next to the pool. It is like a recliner/slide and looks as though you could sit in it, and then when you're ready for a swim, just slide down into the pool. 

Early afternoon our stateroom was ready and we enjoyed a nice view of the Sydney Harbor from our stateroom (can't get enough views of the Sydney Harbor). 

Later in the evening, there were some ominous clouds moving in, as we encountered a thunderstorm shortly after the ship set sail.

Storm moving in

At dinner, we joined some of the people from our group. Our group has tables reserved for us to eat together, but you can choose another restaurant instead if you wish. We chose to eat with the group last night, and had great conversation with four ladies. Joe even fixed one lady's phone that had broken. She was so thrilled that her phone was back in working order, and so grateful to Joe. He was the hero of the night.

This morning I checked out the ship's walking track on Deck 15. It is on the top level and is windy, but very pleasant walking along with the ocean views. At one point there was a swimming pool, where someone was teaching water aerobics.

Water aerobics

Today (Tuesday) and tomorrow are sailing days - going across the ocean from Australia to New Zealand. Once we arrive in New Zealand, the first day (Thursday) we will be doing scenic cruising along the fjords. Then Friday will be the first excursion. In the meantime, there are many activities aboard ship that we can take advantage of, but the first day - today - might consist mostly of catching up on some rest from the past few weeks of being on the go.