Friday. Cruise Contemplation.

Maybe it’s because I’ve got the travel bug in me (but luggage that sadly, is yet to be packed) but the sight of this cruise liner as a backdrop to a temporary drop off point at the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay made my Friday.

I was possibly more excited than the passengers. Master SSG and I just couldn’t look away as a convoy of taxis and Ubers did the loop the loop around witch’s hats as they pulled up at the pylons to drop off passengers. The forecourt of the terminal was organized chaos as staff corralled passengers to one area and their luggage to another. Flashing signs counted down the minutes until the Celebrity Solstice could set sail.

I was so inspired and caught up in the emotions at the terminal that I pretty much started googling about Celebrity Solstice cruises then and there. It turns out that the Solstice is as big a deal as its size suggests. There are eight restaurants on board, a wellness centre complete with trainers and fitness specialists you can book onboard assessments with. Which I can totally see myself doing – on day one before hitting those restaurants, of course. There are also various internet packages, a live theatre and lots of other things that are making me more and more tempted to book in for a cruise while I write this post….

Typically, I’m so caught up in the tech specs and onboard amenities that I haven’t actually thought of where we’d go on a cruise. I’ve never been to Alaska and this would be a perfect way to take it all in but then again, Hawaii would be lovely to revisit.

Dreams about cruises aside, this afternoon was rather lovely in the real world as well. Master SSG and I had lunch overlooking Circular Quay at the Park Hyatt. It was every bit as extra as that sentence implies. We’re on staycation, people, too much is just right when you’ve got the Friday off work to kick off your leave.