I made the conscious decision to not blog the cruise. Like a beautiful sunset I wanted to enjoy it in the moment and without distraction. I figured I’d remember what stuck and hence what mattered.

As we boarded the impressive vessel ‘The Edge’, it was impossible not to smile… the ship was beautiful, inside and out and the staff were incredibly welcoming, friendly and helpful. The check-in went smoothly and we were soon flopping down on the bed in our terrace cabin… for about 30 seconds, before jumping up and racing around the ship, exploring.

We spent a full 40 days on board the ‘Celebrity Edge’. Like the seas that carried us to Australia from Italy, there were highs, a low or two and even a storm, but the highs more than made up for any rocky seas we had to endure.

The ship itself was beautiful and not too big… At least practically speaking, although we did have to change cabins twice, which often led to confusion about where we were and what direction we should be going to get ‘home’ at any given time. Luckily all the cabins were fab, however I did find myself missing a ‘proper’ balcony. Ooh, ladee dah.

The food was of course a highlight. Four main dining areas as well as the buffet, coffee shops and miscellaneous cafes and bars, which all kept us well fed and watered (and then some).

The food was mostly excellent and, at times, amazing. Lobster night was a favourite and snails were a regular additional course at dinner. We dined all over the place, but the Normandie was my favourite, mostly due to the incredible staff, including Ronald the somalier, who was knowledgeable, very friendly and entertaining.

We did try all four of the main restaurants, sometimes alone but oftentimes with others at shared seating, or simply leaning across tables. We met interesting people from all over the globe and the staff were always  beyond amazing. 

We visited a total of ten countries during our cruise. We left Rome on the 30th of October, arriving in Sydney on the 9th of December. Quite the adventure.

Sicily was pretty, we wandered historic streets and squares and sampled some lovely street food. Reembarcation was a bit of a slog… The first of many, however we wore it well.

Oman was fun. We haggled for ‘tat’ at some markets, walked the beautiful esplanade and sampled the local coffee  before dipping our toes in the water and rounding it off with a visit to a grand palace.

Abu Dhabi was very cultural. We visited a truly spectacular mosque (once Katrine managed to find some suitably modest clothing… although the restrictions on affection in public places didn’t seem to bother her quite as much). Incredibly beautiful. We rounded off the day with a lovely bike ride (and obligatory cat feeding).

Dubai was awesome and nuts in equal measure. We jumped on a hop on, hop off bus and trundled past incredible skyscrapers on every side. Including the famous Burj Khalifa where i had to fight hard to resist scaling it’s heights ala Tom Cruise. Katrine’s heart was set on seeing the palms so we travelled there on our bus tour taking in all the beautiful sites and sounds on the way. We stayed bus bound besides a wee foray into the Dubai mall to have a quick peek. Shiny.

Mumbai and Cochin, in India were hectic and quite demanding at times. We were celebrities for the day with families and all manner of locals asking to take selfies, which we mostly obliged to. We visited monuments, markets and mosques, fish markets, museums and cafes and met some lovely people. Everything was very cheap and we bought spices and sampled some ridiculously cheap and tasty street food. We even managed to try a traditional Indian massage. I was stunned at how modern and efficient the train system was, considering the relative squalor of the cities, although the tuk tuk drivers were much more entertaining. I found myself wishing we could have ventured further afield into rural areas where I had so many wonderful memories from my last visit so many years ago… But that’s cruising.

Colombo was a little less hectic than india, the people were friendly and everything was cheap (after proper negotiation), we visited the waterfront, Dutch hospital area, museums and temples. And I even got a haircut. Great.

Thailand was very cool, we didn’t have much time in port so we spent it wisely, shopping, eating and getting a fabulous, mega-cheap massage. We wished we could have stayed longer.

Singapore was a different world. Clean, tidy, efficient. We visited the marvellous futuristic gardens, took the skywalk and toured the amazing Avatar experience and domed gardens, grabbed some seafood and even discovered a Scandinavian Christmas world. Bonkers.

Bali was one of my favourite places, the people were incredibly friendly, it was beautiful and everything was cheap and cheerful. We saw lots of temples and visited a monkey park and swam in the gorgeous seas at a lively wee beach, rounding it all off with a lovely dinner and a cheap-as-chips couples massage. I’d love to come back some day.

Sailing around Australia was fun. We saw some lovely wee spots in Cairns and Airlie and even saw the occasional crocodile.

So many fantastic places, but we both agreed that sea day’s were our favourite. Especially cool was passing through the Seuz Canal. Pretty awesome.

There was so much to do on board. Morning yoga with the fantastic Guiseppe was always a great way to start the day, otherwise there was entertainment aplenty including dance classes, trivia, shows, karaoke (I can’t help myself), parties, silent discos, talks and simply chillin by the pool, or soaking in the outdoor jacuzzi. We also attended Giuseppes talk on ‘a happy life’, he’s a lovely chap and his girlfriend would  bend over backwards for anyone. Literally (she’s a contortionist).

The headliners in the theatre  were all amazing, especially the cast productions. Stephen Barry was an outstanding singer (despite the tight jeans) amongst a talented bunch (Katrine seemed particularly impressed… Which is weird cause I can sing a bit but she’s never thrown her underwear at me). The ‘Barricade Boys’ were good and friendly and most of the other performers and instrumentalists, including a violin diva, an incredible guitarist and a few super talented multi instrumentalists. There was even a hypnotist who Katrine should have joined on stage as she was clearly into it. We weren’t keen on the magician, but Charlie the guitar man was fabulous all over the ship. I also did my bit for the on the board entertainment coming second in the Karaoke contest (I was robbed).

We also did pretty well at the Casino, playing our free 5 dollar bets on on evening and winning 70 dollars. Following that up with an impressive free slots victory, thanks to Katrine’s light touch. Great fun…. Although I did start to worry that Katrine is one button press away from a gambling addiction.

We did manage quite a few trips to the gym, but no ammount of training was enough to counter the effects of 40 days (more or less) of alcohol and three course dinners (and sometimes lunches too) all topped off with the amazing ocean view buffet.

Scones with clotted cream, lobster and the shrimp tower were my favourites and we always managed to sample something delicious at main dining. Usually, with snails as an extra course. There was even mint ice cream occasionally… Not to mention a chocolate buffet. We also drank a lot of wine, cocktails and the occasional glass of water.

We did treat ourselves to speciality dining on one occasion, at the Eden restaurant, where the head chef was very friendly and the fish outstanding.

Most people were great, but we did meet a couple or two who were obnoxious habitual complainers… ‘turkey lady’ and her husband ranked most obnoxious… I made a point of apologising to and praising staff who had to deal with them whenever our paths crossed. Tossers. 

Larry and Jill from Florida, who had been on 60 cruises were an incredibly sweet older couple who we bumped into most nights.

John and Katherine were absolute nutter newlyweds, who had no brakes or social bounderies, but seemed to be having a lot of fun.

The there was captain fun, Ron, Robbie, Denise and Ron, Terence, Linn and John etc, etc, etc. They all brought a little sparkle to proceedings with some chat or a bit of banter.

We disembarked in Sydney with heavy hearts, but lots of great memories of a fantastic, once in a lifetime trip. Sydney harbour was more developed, but just as beautiful as I remembered. A quick ferry ride later, and we were in our hotel and ready to explore manly beach. We walked around soaking up the laid back vibes of surfers, beach bodies, markets and bars. Very promising, although not being able to flash my seapass in a bar or restaurant and have my every desire fulfilled without having to reach for my credit card is going to be rough.