kernow

We are supposed to be doing Rome to Dubai and then on to Singapore on Anthem in October so watching to see what happens with Serenade to give us some idea what they might do.

Have you checked out the Australian and New Zealander cruisers board. Lots of very helpful Aussies over there who will answer questions, I used it a lot before our Australian cruise.

Careful, you might get in trouble (but I agree with you)🤣🤣

We went to Lemon Bay and Anse Vata bay, walked right along and thought it was really nice. We said if we ever went back we would catch the little boat over to Duck Island although if the beaches are closed maybe that is not running. I know about a month after we came back someone was killed by a shark on that beach, it even made the BBC news. Saying that we also enjoyed Vanuatu (Vila). We walked about 20 minutes out of town and found a nice little resort. Also loved the Duty Free prices😅.

Despite what you read on here DH always wears one and he is never the only one.Also as your cruise is in Europe you usually see a few more than on a Caribbean cruise. If you want to wear it go for it.

We loved Vanuatu, those water taxis are an experience in themselves😆. You'll find your French influence in Noumea, we thought it was just like being in France.

Thank you all for your wonderful photos and commentary. I'm not a cold weather person and have never had any desire to go to Antarctica but it's going on my bucket list now, it looks amazing.

DH always wears his tux and there are always at least a few others onboard. It also depends where you are cruising, if you cruise from the UK there are always lots of people dressed up(and no one changes after dinner, they wear the clothes for the rest of the evening). Wear your tux with pride, I'm sure you'll look great.

This must have changed in the last couple of years, we did IFly on Anthem in 2021 and used our free photos for the pics. Another cutback!

We did an Australian cruise at the end of 2022. As usual we prepaid tips but we still tipped the bartenders for the free D+ drinks as usual, also saw some Australians doing the same. There is just not the same expectation and people mentioning tips that you find on US cruises, more like a cruise full of Europeans.

I think there is no gratuity to pay on Australian cruises(same as in the UK), @little britainis currently onboard and will tell you for sure.

It's nice, I think they also had a cocktail with it too.

I seem to remember it's not just the wines, they also had some different gins (and probably other spirits but I don't tend to drink those). Mark tried all the beers too.

Can't wait to hear all about it, especially the NZ leg which we had to miss last year🥲. I know you'll love cruising with the Aussies, we loved the friendly, lively atmosphere onboard, quite different from cruises in other parts of the world. Enjoy.

Yes, that was the case on Serenade in Dec, only the pool bar open while we were there.

Before the new menus it always used to be available in the MDR although it was not listed on the menu. I asked on Serenade in Nov and was told no, only vanilla, strawberry and chocolate ice cream now. They also used to have it in Giovannis but I didn't try there (they did still have Pistachio ice cream there though so maybe). Not a silly thing to ask at all, I nearly always get ice cream or sorbet for dessert and really missed all the choices they used to offer, I even mentioned it on my survey.

As I posted a few pages ago, we were told by crew that it is a very low limit at any time and a quick google found this (for NCL employees) which seems to confirm that, indeed it's a lower limit than the UK drink/drive limit. I imagine RCL rules are fairly similar. https://www.kingsrecruit.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/F301-Drug-and-Alcohol-Policy-for-Shipboard-Personnel.pdf

Thanks to all those onboard who are posting, really enjoying reading about your adventures. I have a question for those who say they give their drink vouchers to the crew, are they allowed to drink on duty? I always thought they weren't. Years ago we were doing a b2b on Brilliance and had the most fantastic waiter, one day he suddenly disappeared, it turned out he had been dismissed and sent home. No one would tell us why (I don't think the other waiters knew) but the speculation was either alcohol or gambling. I remember them telling us that the crew could be breathalysed at any time and even off duty they were only allowed to have a very low level of alcohol in their blood. Having more could be a sackable offence. Previous to that we had given any unused bottles of wine to our cabin steward but we stopped when we heard that.

Yes, it was all filmed on Virtuosa, we didn't think much of the drama but watched it anyway just to spot places we recognised on the ship😄

It was Jane McDonald, we commented on it too. We've thought for the last few years that MSC are going for RCL's share of the market in the UK. Doing a good job too IMO.

We were on the Canal cruise before the WC and chatted to some of the staff about what they were doing. I think most of them are just on their normal rotation, bar tenders and our waiters were on for the next few months and then going home at the end of their contract as usual. I think the senior staff will also rotate as usual.

Glad you arrived safely. Last year we stayed at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront which is the hotel in the middle of your first picture with the bridge. We loved walking along the river but as you say it is so hot. I find that after a day or two my body seems to adjust to it and it doesn't seem so bad. Couldn't believe that we would see locals out jogging along that path though!

I hate bumpy flights, hope the next one is smoother for you. We did London to Sydney last year, a direct flight but with a 1.5 hour stop in Singapore and then an 8 hour 'hop' to Sydney, can imagine how you're feeling right now 😀. Soon forgotten once you arrive though.

Looking forward to this especially hearing about your stops in Phuket and Penang as we have both stops on Anthem next year. We've holidayed in Phuket previously so will probably just stay in the town but have never been to Penang and I'm interested in the taste of Penang tour.

This was the Beef Wellington on the Thanksgiving menu.