34 replies to this topic

[4Engines]

Hey AE! Up until a few moments ago I didn't know we had a trip reports section in our forums! After reading the trip reports on a.net for so long and the excellent ones here, I thought id right my own on my upcoming cruise to Tasmania and New Zealand onboard the Diamond Princess

I'll be departing Melbourne on the 11th at 11:50 AM AEDT on JQ flight 30, an Airbus A330-200, bound for Bangkok via Sydney, and will aim to post a review and photos of my journey as I go!

My JQ flight was chosen in particular because it is a domestic tag of an international flight, meaning my trip will take (in what I hope will be a speeding fashion given my domestic waivers for immigration) through both MEL and SYD's international terminals. Although I'm not sure I'll have too much time for spotting in Sydney, I can expect to get shots of both QF and SQ A380s, an NZ 744, and possibly UA's 744 among other highlights in Melbourne 

I'll be returning home from Auckland on Emirates EK 407, one of several trans Tasman tag flights Emirates operates. I'm extremely pumped for my first 380 flight and after having gotten away with so much before, with a little eye lid battering I should be able to sneak upstairs for some photos and a little test run in the J seats

Hopefully I'll be at the airport early enough to do some spoting during the evening rush, and most importantly before the sun sets!!!

Lots of photos and blabbering to come,

4Engines

[Sheepy]

NZ 744 at SYD? You wish...
But there's usually one parked up on the apron at the international terminal in AKL waiting to become NZ8 to SFO.
For the best view, you might want to use the observation box thing...

[QK Flight Industries]

Sweet, 4E!

[Royen]

Can't wait for updates!

[4Engines]

NZ 744 at SYD? You wish...
But there's usually one parked up on the apron at the international terminal in AKL waiting to become NZ8 to SFO.
For the best view, you might want to use the observation box thing...

 

Sheep, I meant I'll be able to view those aircraft (UA, SQ, NZ etc) in Melbourne - NZ0124, the midday departure, is being operated by a 747-400!

Also, as you'd probably know best, what direction does the observation deck point in? I remember it looking out over the international pier and a whole lot of sunlight reflecting off those angled windows! I'll need to get there in time to avoid that!

[Sheepy]

744 in Melbourne? Finally.
I guess an upgauge for the holidays or something?

Blue = Observation box.
Green = NZ 744/77W for SFOLAXLHR
Purple = EK 380s.

[QK Flight Industries]

That thing you're calling green? It looks aqua to me. Took me a minute to figure out what the heck you were talking about

[Nexus8]

I had the same problem.

[Sheepy]

That thing you're calling green? It looks aqua to me. Took me a minute to figure out what the heck you were talking about

I admit I probably should have trusted 4E to read more than just primary and secondary colours...

[bolli]

Tut. Tut. Tut. sheepy. You should learn to post it as full RGB and hex code.

[4Engines]

Well, the time has come ladies and gentlemen! Firstly i'd like to apologies for the delay in posting - i've had some trouble with the internet connection on my phone, but no stresses now I'm coming to you live from my balcony suite onboard the Diamond Princess. As I type i'm enjoying a cold coke on ice and a chicken caesar salad from the complimentary room service menu
 

My day kicked off at a quarter to 8 this morning - I had to do a little last minute packing, charge up the batteries on my camera and drop the cat off at the cattery. This might sound like a simple task but it involves the removal of all bare flesh via Mischief's (his name ) extended set of cat claws, but he's a cutie. 

 

Flight Details:

Route: Melbourne (MEL) to Sydney (SYD)

Carrier: Jetstar (JQ)

Flight Number: 030

Aircraft Type: Airbus A330-200

Estimated Departure Time: 1150 AM

Actual Departure Time: 1200 PM

 

We parked at the United Car Park, one of many enclosed long and short term car parking lots surrounding Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport. These are great alternatives to one trick dog and pony show they call the long term carpark at MEL. Many a time i've waited for the shuttle bus back the terminals and it can be a lengthy wait. The automatic 'bus wait estimators' (for want of a better term) often quote you say, a five minute wait. Approximately ten minutes later, the machine usually flicks over to one minute. Should that fabled bus ever turn up, you could lay good money on the fact that it'll be 100% jam packed. Lesson learnt? Park somewhere else!

As i'd already printed my boarding pass online, check in was a breeze. That being said, JQ only had a pair of check in desks open for pre-printed boarding passes, and some genius in front of me thought he could batter his eyelids and sweet talk the lady into allowing his half dozen bags to be checked. She wouldn't have a bar of it and directed him out of the way so as to repack. I'm quite glad he was simply set aside. There is nothing worse than some bastard who wants to discuss the finer points of man's existence for a decade at the desk. I have the utmost admiration for the agent who managed to remain calm, collected and polite despite (presumably) desperately wanting to remove this gentleman's parts.

 

I was checked in and ready to go by about 1050 and by this stage it was time to prioritize - I had limited time and refused to continue my day without a coffee! I ventured off to McDonald's and got a coffee frappe, had a quick smoke out the front and made my way through immigration. God forbid Melbourne could have installed a smokers lounge during the massive refurbishment. If one can carry lighters and cigarettes through security, why not off a balcony or open space for the smoking public? Even Kuala Lumpur International Airport's LCC terminal provides an (albeit apparently unventilated) smoking room. Get with MEL!

 

Much like check in, immigration and security was a breeze. The check in clerk had stuck a large orange 'D' for domestic sticker on my boarding pass which enables you to bypass the main line and fly through the express counter

 

Here are some shots from inside the terminal:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My aircraft for todays flight - damn HSBC!! The worlds local pain in the ass more like it...

 

Anyways, I have to run now - the ship is pulling out of Sydney Harbour and that is a sight not to miss!! More to come ae

[ar157]

hooray VH-OQC. i took her from SYD-HKG on the 30th, December 2012. nice pics 4e can't wait to read more

[4Engines]

And so the report continues...

 

I'm coming to you live from my suite at the moment - my ship has just arrived in Hobart, Tasmania. (HBA for those that like their airport codes)

After spending some time wandering around the international terminal taking photos, I decided to slink under the 'no entry' rope that was blocking a portion of the terminal from which I would have been able to take an excellent photo of the Qantas' A380s parked next to each other. Naturally one of the many security guards (that had been lounging around on the seats by the gate) lept to his feat and started screaming blue murder. Unfortunately my charm and charisma wasn't enough to get me by. Logical next step? Eye lid battering (a favourite of mine as i'm sure you can imagine), followed by a little sucking up and numerable thank you's and smiles, the Qantas International lounge dragons granted me my wish - a view from the top! (Hopefully at least one of you gets that line). A quick photo through the windows and a mini tour and I was on my way to gate 5 to board JQ 30 to Sydney!

 

Prepare for take off!!

 

Cabin View

 

I would estimate the Economy load factor to be about 90-95%, while the former Star Class (Now business, sharing the same business class seat as the Qantas domestic A330 fleet, albeit with the center seat available for sale) had only a single couple as I boarded. I was unpleasantly surprised by the large number of pax. I've flown SYD-MEL on the return JQ A330 flight and was one of approximately one hundred passengers onboard! That being said, it is the peak season at the moment with both the summer and school holidays for the vast majority.

 

We departed about 10 minutes behind schedule. Captain James Taylor welcomed us on board and informed us that there were connecting pax from another JQ flight who were being assisted through the terminal as we speak! Kudos for the updates and presumably helping the connecting pax on their way! Jetstar has come a long way since it launched and it is unsurprising they have grown so rapidly. There are some shortfalls however. As my flight would continue on to Singapore from Sydney, the crew were SIN based and spoke limited English. (or simply didn't speak at all in the case of the FA who was collecting rubbish for the entirety of the flight) While this doesn't bother me entirely, I do think its a bit of a shifty stunt and certainly an excellent way of keeping costs down.

 

Lunch time! Damn sky rats....

 

I'd already purchased a drink in MEL before I boarded, but I had to have one of my favorite chicken, lettuce and sundried tomato wraps. This was probably the only disappointment thus far - the size of the wrap has been reduced and the price increased by a dollar since my last trip. Its not a huge gripe, but unfortunate nevertheless.

 

Customary legroom shot

 

Our take off run was incredibly speedy despite the high L/F. At 12:45 our captain announced that we would shortly be descending from our cruise altitude of 39,000 feet. Our decent was a quick process and shortly afterwards I was snapping a pic of every aircraft I could! As we'd arrive a little earlier than scheduled, our gate was still in use. (Gate 45, in the far southwest corner of SYD, is one of the furthest from security/immigration/customs and presumably cheaper for JQ to use). Here are some shots I took while taxing, walking to immigration and from Sydney's observation deck. I'd highly recommend the stop at the observation deck - its located at the far left hand side of the international terminal's check in hall and can be accessed without passing through security. The deck offers excellent views of the cargo ramp, domestic terminals, northern departures and the north end of the international terminal itself. If your flying domestic, you'll need to pay $5+ (each way) for a transfer on the city bound airport train. Taxis will not take your from the domestic to the international terminals - be aware of this! They don't like!!!

 

A view of a Cathay Pacific A330-300 while waiting for our gate - I believe Cathay have 4x daily flights into SYD, all with their latest J product.

 

Interesting, an MH 744... I was under the impression SYD was serviced by MHs latest fleet of increased gross weight A330-300s.

 

A Virgin A340-600 preparing for its departure to HKG and onwards to LHR.

 

A340 central - Etihad and Virgin parked side by side.

 

Etihad A340-600

[4Engines]

Several views from the observation deck:

 

A small convoy of vehicles snaking their way around the tarmac made for an interesting scene

 

 

 

Oneworld partners Qantas and British airways. This particular 747-400 is an extended range model - you can tell (feel free to correct me on this one folks) because they are fitted with General Electric engines, as opposed to their standard 744 fleet which is equipped with rollers, not unlike the BA aircraft in the background...

 

Scoot is one of the most recent carriers to launch services to SYD. They are owned by SQ for those that aren't aware, and their 772 fleet was/is being sourced from former SQ frames.

 

A Qantas A330-200 pushes back while a company 734 taxis into the domestic terminal.

 

I fear the wheels may clip the the domestic terminal if he tries to take off!!

 

A nice comparison of the old and new 'roo on this non-ER 744 and A380.

[4Engines]

And lastly for this segment of my trip, my departure from Sydney. I'm sure you now understand why I couldn't miss this!

 

The Diamond Princess, my home for the next fortnight.

 

 

[4Engines]

Well ladies and gentlemen, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and i'm visiting home as a tourist  

This shot was taken facing aft, towards the stern (rear) of the ship. The black and white 'bar' hanging off the side of the ship, just to the right of the funnel, is the Skywalker Nightclub, the highest public room on board the ship - my preferred hang out for a coffee and a read 

 

But continuing on with my photo journey...

 

Our first port of call after Sydney was Hobart. Originally a convict settlement, Hobart as a population of around 100,000-120,000 within the city bounds. Hobart is located at the far south eastern corner of Tasmania, Australia's island state. As I have/had family here, there wasn't a whole lot to do! I decided I'd swing by what is known as the MONA Gallery. MONA stands for the Museum of Old and New Art, and is Australia's largest privately owned museum and art gallery. The site itself was built inside a cliff after many years of excavation and is possibly the most incredible building, both in terms of architecture and exhibits, i've ever visited in the world. Le Pallae de Versaille in France, the Reunification Palace in Vietnam and the Auto Tecknik Museum in Germany (Where jumbo jets can be found on stilts), as some of my favourite constructions in the world don't even come close to this! As a keen designer with a passionate interest in engineering and architecture, I was a veritable child in a candy store!

 

The exhibits inside the gallery were chosen specifically by the private owner. Here are just a select few:

 

 

This is the white supremacists library - just kidding, but literally everything is white. Every page of every book, and each of those books are real and can be taken off the shelf and flicked through! I'm sure there must be some sort of message or something hidden in one of them....

 

This is the snake mosaic, made of hundreds of colourful pictures of cartoon snakes

 

Probably my favourite exhibit. This 'Water wall' prints the current most popular search terms using water and light. It would probably be about 4 stories high from the drain to the hoses themselves (And then a fair distance further to roof)

 

This is a mechanical replica of the human digestive system. It is fed every day by churning food through an in-sinkerator (not 100% on what they're called - its basically a blender found in kitchen sinks) and at 2pm like clockwork a decent old poo pops out the end! Brilliant!

 

Due to the unfavorable lighting conditions it was extremely difficult to take a picture that clearly demonstrates the vast nature of this underground complex. Although this photo doesn't do it justice, it does give you some idea...

 

To get to MONA one was catch a half hour ferry to the rock formation within which it is located. This provided a good view of the Hobart zinc works, one of the largest industries in Tasmania and certainly one of the largest economic contributors. All of Tasmania's zinc is mined on the western coast and sent here for processing:

 

 

It also gave me an opportunity to photograph my ship, the Diamond Princess, alongside the Celebrity Solstice. Both of these ships and their respective cruise lines are owned by Carnival Cruise Co. Its the peak cruise season in Australia at the moment, and the prior day to our arrival the Crystal Symphony and the Freedom of the Seas (the largest ever ship to visit Hobart) were present, representing an increase in Hobart's population by some 7-10% on each day.

 

 

I'm now in Melbourne, my home town, and will report back shortly with more

[Superman]

My god... I want to visit Sydney one day!

[james767]

My god... I want to visit Sydney one day!

If you go you need to do the sydney bridge climb

[4Engines]

Finally I've had a spare minute or two in which to finish this grand epic of a trip report! After leaving you folks in Melbourne my laptop entered a period of ill health and I wasn't able to post my next sections, so here comes a very belated and somewhat condensed version of the rest of my voyage:

 

Our departure from Hobart was bizarre. The Celebrity Solstice departed first, as she was the the first to arrive, and to a hell of a lot of tooting, yelling and whistling from ship to ship at that. Here is a little gif I prepared from photos taken from my cabin. The Solstice sailed directly across our bow from her berth, seen in the last photo of the previous post, giving me a front row seat!

 

 

Unlike the Celebrity, which by this point was beginning to disappear over the horizon, our ship had decided not leave port immediately. Hmm. The captain came on shortly after our lines had been thrown and informed us we would be completing an annually scheduled 360 degree rotation in the centre of the River Derwent (Hobart Harbour) to align our magnetic compass, a requirement apparently dictated by Lloyds. Rightio then Princess! Time to grab a nice drink and find myself a comfy couch!

 

The journey north from Hobart took me through Bass Straight, a traditionally choppy section of ocean between mainland Australia and the island state of Tasmania. Our itinerary provided a rather glum evening departure from Hobart, on the south eastern corner of Tasmania, followed by a full days cruising, providing me an opportunity to snap some well lit deck shots of my brilliant vessel:

 

A view of one of two central pools on the upper lido deck. This area doubles as the poolside grill, wood fired outdoor pizzeria and, in the evenings, the 'Movies Under the Stars' outdoor cinema, complete with fresh popcorn during showtime! The other main pool is located under a huge retractable glass roof, just aft of the funnel, and is reffered to as 'The Conservatory'.

 

The stern pool from the aft port side smoking section. My standard morning view after collecting my freshly squeezed OJ and double shot iced coffee - see later photo

 

Looking from starboard to port. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries very wisely included this brilliant observation deck across the roof of the bridge in the design of most Grand Class ships. The upper level of windows is the adults only retreat, complete with massage tables, spa and bar service, while the lower level encloses the gym.

 

Taken from the same deck, at the furthest point towards the back of the previous photo, looking aft down the port side of the ship. The large black bar window in the background (far top right corner) is the 'Skywalkers Nightclub', the highest public point onboard the ship at approx 150ft above sea level.

 

The bridge and observation deck can be seen here, taken from through the black bar window referred to in the previous caption/photo.

 

My arrival into Melbourne was unusually pleasant given my hometown's propensity to ruin any promising photographic moment with a show of lighting and rain!

 

Welcome to Melbourne!

 

Would be absolutely f***ing freezing on those hot air balloons!

 

When I awoke I noticed the ship was moving backwards, which is also rather unusual and mildly alarming. It occurred to me I must have slept through our passing of the Port Phillip Bay heads and associated fluffing about embarking the pilot, which is always entertaining to watch! Disappointing indeed but inspiration enough to throw off my bedding and make my way upstairs for a morning coffee and a view of us backing in. Good morning Spirit!

 

 

My stay in Melbourne was intended to be uneventful, however; a good friend of mine had other plans. What I had planned to be a quiet, afternoon cup of coffee at my friends riverside apartment quickly evolved into a crazed frenzy to return to the boat and pass security, while under the influence of a certain green herb, without drawing attention to myself...

 

Whoopsy daisy haha

 

Suffice to say, back on board the chefs at the buffet had their skills tested while I ravaged the displays..

 

More to come!

[ar157]

mmm... green herbs