OzKiwiJJ

One thing strange about this cruise is the scarcity of the production shows. They had Motor City on the first night when we overnighted in Sydney then nothing until today when On the Bayou is on as a matinee, then on for the usual two evening shows tomorrow. They did have the Buddy Holly tribute show two nights in a row though. Other than that it's been comedians or solo vocalists.

Yesterday we had the " technical stop" at Willis Island. This time they didn't schedule trivia at the same time so we got to see it. 😊 The weather has been great since leaving PD. Warm and sunny so we've been enjoying afternoons in the Sanctuary. It feels strange having the Sanctuary aft instead of forward, and on multiple levels, but it's worked out well as there has been quite a bit of wind in the eraly afternoons. The Sanctuary pool is small but big enough for a shallow end and a deep end - with two steps between which is a bit odd but probably better than the steep slopes in the Lotus Spa pools on Grand class ships. It's not heated but has warmed up nicely now. Unfortunately the shape of the pool area seems to amplify sound so it can get quite noisy when several people are in the pool chatting.

Friday we were at Port Douglas, a place we really like as we have spent a number of holidays there over the years. However it's not one of my favourite ports due to the long tender trips. This time it was even more complicated as there was a very low tide in the afternoon which meant the big local catamarans couldn't operate between noon and 4pm, just the ship's tenders. We went ashore for a wander around to see what had changed. It was very busy with regular holidaymakers plus us cruisers. We had hoped to have lunch in the town but the good restaurants were either closed for lunch or limiting the number of tables available. Staff shortages are really hitting them badly. We headed back to the marina hoping to get something to eat there and lucked in to a very nice little restaurant, Choo Choo, at one end of the marina. Great food! The wait for the tender was fairly long. Luckily we got there early enough to get on the next one when it arrived. The queue had grown quite big by then but a second tender was already waiting to berth. Port Douglas really impresses me by the way they have stuck to their guns about not allowing high rise buildings to overshadow the beach. From the ship you could not tell there was a town tucked behind the trees lining Four Mile Beach. The only signs of civilisation were a few houses at one end of the headland.

Cruise Critic didn't like me yesterday afternoon. It kept losing my posts.🤬

We always had a classic drinks package perk on the three Celebrity cruises we did pre-pandemic. We were able to upgrade them to the premium package onboard.

One of the nice things about currently being on a cruise is not having the time nor inclination to watch TV. But our Kindles are getting a workout! They work well sitting on our balcony or in the Sanctuary.😊

Beautifully said Linda.

You would have had a longer time there than us. We really only had time for a quick swim then lunch. Also I think we were at the opposite end of the beach to the reefs.

Done! We didn't see anyone waving though.

It's glitchy definately. I had a complimentary SD booked for our next cruise which starts next Tuesday. Then we booked the one we are currently on but, of course, we couldn't get the same cabin. My SD booking completely disappeared as the app linked the two bookings automatically. I check with the restaurant the other day and they have no record of the booking. Since we change cabins between cruises I can't even book until changeover day. All I can do is go there the day before and ask them to make a note to book us in.

Very sad. She reigned serenely but with a firm hand. I have great respect for her. RIP.

Yeah, it probably wouldn't be viable but given the location of the BICT hopefully something will be put in place during the peak cruise season. Even White Elephant Bay had a ferry service for a while. Sydney's OPT and Melbourne's Station Pier are very lucky to have good existing public transport nearby.

So I heard. We've been going to the Boronia Park Harris Farm for several years as our hairdresser is there. It's one of the best places in Sydney for cheeses but our local Figtree Greengrocer has better quality fruit and veg most of the time.

Last night it was just cutlets, individually cooked, not as a rack.

We do the same - a cocktail before dinner, wine with dinner and sometimes lunch, an after dinner cocktail or liqueur.

Plus coffees, freshly squeezed OJ, small bottles of water etc, and remember the Plus package includes internet as well.

It's definitely $16 which allows you to work your way through an amazing selection of cocktails 😊, but you have to suffer a rather pathetic selection of wines! 🤬

Today we're in Cairns where it is lovely and warm. We walk along the waterfront to the Pier Mall where we were meeting a friend at a cafe there. Rolf took a short detour into one of my favourite swimwear shops and bought himself some new bathers - for once they aren't black or navy! I didn't see anything I liked but wasn't looking too hard as I have enough swimwear at the moment. After meeting up at the cafe we went to Salt House restaurant for lunch. We'd been there years ago and remembered it as very nice but were a bit disappointed this time. The service was very patchy. The wine we ordered didn't actually arrive until we'd finished our appetisers. The food was OK but not much better than in Coral's MDR. We ordered a side salad with the mains but, as is far too common these days, was drowned in dressing. We had a pleasant stroll back to the ship although it was starting to get a bit steamy by then. It was nice to get into the air-con and cool off.

We did the ship tour. I was too lazy to try to sort out a private tour but from what the guy on our boat said their private tours leave earlier and get back later than the Princess tour, so not an option. We had to get back to the marina before 3pm as that was the last tender time.

There used to be one MDR menu preCovid that I really didn't like. I can't remember exactly what was on it though but I'd know it if saw it again. But so far the menus have been great. Slightly different to preCovid but there plenty of old favourite dishes appearing. I had some superb lamb cutlets last night, perfectly cooked for my taste ie they were quite rare. Delicious. And they had my favourite brand of mint sauce. 😁

Mmmm, although in general I do love most of the MDR menus, and they are great quality, but sometimes it's nice to have a change especially on longer cruises, B2Bs, or special occasions.

So that's what the problem is. You're no longer at Australia Post to keep them in line! 🤣

You just went from one side of the ship to the other though. Our shift is from midships on Caribe deck to aft on Dolphin deck. Still I guess they're used to doing things like that.

I liked the rat photo in negative format that someone posted ages ago.😊

Now you've done it! Didn't anyone tell you "never tempt fate"! 🤣