OzKiwiJJ

If your cruise stops in Broome there are shuttle buses into the town, and it's worth wandering around the old part of it as it has a fascinating history. Then you can catch a local bus to and from the famous Cable Beach. You can self-explore in Geraldton as well. The locals offered a HoHo service when we were there some years ago. What other ports are you going to?

Lyle, I've been comparing your comments with our experience on Westerdam last Christmas. We had similar issues with MDR dining although we chose late fixed dining. We did have great table companions which made up for the shortfalls in service. The evening meals were reasonable, some dishes being very similar to ones we'd had on Princess, but breakfast and lunch weren't great so we stopping going there for those meals. BTW the most memorable MDR main course I've ever had was actually on Carnival. It was a spicy pork dish that was very different to most cruise ship fare and it had amazing flavours.

Probably because 80% of the passengers will drink any old wine. It's not bad wine if you just want a white wine or a red wine but if you know your wine varieties then it's pathetic and very limited.

I doubt they'd ever remove drinks from the Plus and Premier fares. There would be no point. But if you want good quality drinks i.e. wine then it's a different story.

Hopefully you'll make to the MDR before 1:30pm. They should really extend that to 2pm or 2:30pm if they're not starting boarding until 1pm. I get quite grumpy if I don't get my MDR embarkation day lunch!

Sometimes they have to start boarding later than usual in Melbourne. It depends how late the ship docks and on the Border Force people. On the cruise we did in March out of Melbourne, still under the boarding group system, Group A boarding wasn't until 2pm. Boarding appears to have gone back to the old style, turn up when you like but at least they're giving you a start time now - in the past it was just assumed to be around 11:30. There are no slots any more. I suggest turning up about half an hour early, you never know they might start check-ins early even if you have to wait in the terminal for a bit before getting on to the ship.

400 Gradi is a Melbourne restaurant / pizza group, one of the first true Neopolitan pizzerias in Australia. In Sydney we have Via Napoli instead. 400 Gradi (400 degrees Celsius) refers to the temperature the woodfired ovens have to reach to cook the pizzas in 90 seconds. Unfortunately I don't think cruise ship pizza ovens operate at this temperature which is why cruise ship pizza never comes out as good as a true Neopolitan pizza - they have to cook it much longer so it dries out more.

So no longer under the umbrella of the 400 Gradi chain, now just a regular cruise line Italian restaurant and pizzeria? Interesting!

That's wonderful, Stu. Have a great cruise. Friends of ours will be on that cruise so I'll no doubt hear all about it.

The beauty about places like Maxwell Rd is that you can choose what looks good, you're not just ordering off a menu. Many years ago I went to the Newton Food Centre and spotted someone having a very interesting fish dish. I asked what it was and where it was from. It was Sliced Fish Hor Fun and was delicious. After that trip I went back there a couple of times to have it but, sadly, on the second visit that outlet had closed down. Maxwell Rd used to do a really good Hainan Chicken Rice.

The Singapore MRT network is quite extensive these days so it should be easy to find somewhere near a station. It's definitely the best way to get around Singapore - cool and comfortable. But taxis are quite cheap there too but sometimes in the evenings it can be hard to get one.

See if there is anything suitable in the Chinatown area, or even just back from Orchard Rd. The Marina Bay area tends to be expensive. Look for somewhere near an MRT station. When are you going there?

Thanks, we'll plan accordingly.

Do you know what the turnaround time was for Elite laundry?

In Singapore you can eat very cheaply, and very well, at the hawker stalls and food courts but there are also some very expensive restaurants there.

But it's obvious what the perfect solution is ... just kick the navy out of Garden Island! 🤣

That would be even worse to get to than White Bay and much more expensive if going by taxi or Uber.

It was fine when we were on it last year. You just have to accept it isn't one of the new ships but IMHO it's one of the best. Very spacious public areas and aft viewing decks with loungers if you want somewhere quiet to sit outside. The Sanctuary has it's own pool which is lovely. We loved the Good Spirits Bar - here in Australia it was the best place for coffee during the day if you didn't want snacks - there is also an International Cafe for those that do want snacks. We liked it so much we kept booking additional cruises and ended up doing 66 nights on it.

They were when we were on Coral Princess last year in the Australian region. We worked our way though most of the Good Spirits menu during the various cruises we did then. We never got charged anything extra.

I agree, and I'm another ex-ITer with 30+ years experience.

We stayed at the Royal on the Park in the CBD. It's an older hotel but very comfortable. It's across the road from the Botanical Gardens so easy access to the riverside walkway. There seemed to be plenty of restuarants nearby but we chose to dine in the hotel restaurant which is excellent with a great range of modern Australian/Asian fusion dishes. Check online booking sites as well as the hotel site - we got a much better price through one of them even though it wasn't a last minute booking.

Happy birthday, Lyle. Have a wonderful cruise.

I hopevyou have a great cruise. I'm really interested in seeing what you think of HAL.

As long as you are only in transit in Auckland, staying airside within the teminal, you don't need to fill in an NZ arrivals card.

Then the Light Rail is definitely your cheapest option. 😊