LittleFish1976

I don't know if you've seen this review of her most recent Costa cruise by Emma Cruises but it's very comprehensive. From her review of the line as long as you know what it's like and are a bit flexible you could have a really great time. It's an Italian line so I imagine the default language is Italian.

Yes, I was just too slow getting around to booking but the US to AKL should be fun - I've been wanting to go to Tonga and Samoa so this will be a taster of that. And happily I got the cabin grade I wanted on the Japan circumnavigation in 2025 so very happy about that.

It's not even about giving people a taste of life on-board Cunard; many people do not wish to be on a ship for almost a month.

That segment has been showing as sold out on the Australian website since launch day. I had planned to book it but have ended up going for SanFran to AKL instead 🤣. I'm not sure how these legs are any different in the minds of certain people than the glorious 'TA' is when it is part of a WC (which it can be).

I fly into AKL international terminal frequently. Often the queues for customs and immigration are really really long. We waited 2 hours within the airport recently to get through the queues. Then waited an hour and ten minutes in a queue to pick up a hire car that was already booked but that won't be an issue for you (but is indicative possibly, of the type of busyness you may come across). I'd fly in two nights prior to boarding and I do if sailing from an international port.

I couldn't believe it when I read the other day that you were flying in from Canada same day as boarding. Most people, regardless of where they are flying to to catch a cruise, wouldn't fly in the same day. I'm sure you're experienced cruisers and this must have worked out for you in the past but give it some thought. I've been delayed flying from Melbourne, Australia to Auckland by hours and that's just a 4 hour flight. Often flights are delayed by the incoming aircraft to be used getting in late. No shade on Auckland - it happens everywhere.

I think I'd need ear plugs for Virgin.

Fair enough I hadn't thought of that interpretation. I consider myself a warm weather holiday person however when I recently had an unexpected 13 day cruise to Cairns instead of the scheduled 8 day trip to New Zealand I quickly learnt that cruising to a hot location is not for me. I had thought that lazing by the pool would be great but I can't take much hot sun and I didn't find the ship's pool inviting! (not sure my knees were up to the challenge of climbing down into the water) It was too hot and muggy for me to even get off in Cairns so give me a cold weather cruise any day. I haven't done much cruising compared to the keen beans here but I have done some wonderful cold weather cruising (Norway; Iceland and British Isles) and have just realised that's perfect for me. Loved a hot weather cruise as a kid but not any more. The problem is that there's really not much action cruise-wise from Australia in the cooler months so you'd have to fly overseas which seems a big thing to do these days.

Maybe choose a couple of locations in Australia that you're particularly interested in seeing and fly between them.

I'm finding it disappointing, too. You're not reading too much into the released schedules. Sydney is going to be more of a focus in future. Also a member of the crew on QE told me recently, and I may have misunderstood due to different first language but I'm sure he was saying that from 2025 that Barcelona would be her home port. I thought Barcelona already was one of her home ports but he seemed to be saying that Melbourne was no longer considered one from 2025. Anyway, looking at the Port of Melbourne schedules versus Ports of Sydney schedules, it's as clear as day that she'll visit Sydney many more times than Melbourne and will be the starting point for most cruises from Australia. So disappointing.

Melbourne's port is on a sandy beach and a short tram ride away from the city centre. Easy access to freeways for the east and west coast. I think it's a good location despite not much parking which doesn't impact tourists anyway. I live in Melbourne and LOVE cruising from my own city. Nothing annoys me more than getting off a ship in Sydney and having to go through the faff of getting to the airport, waiting for and paying for a flight which only takes a bit over an hour but takes a whole day to accomplish.

There are cruise lines that people seem to prefer for certain places such as Princess for Alaska; small-ship lines for Antarctica etc. I have a preferred line for Norway for example which isn't Cunard although Cunard is my preferred line in general, so the line of questioning (so to speak) isn't perhaps as nutty as it may appear. It sounds like they have as many versions of these questionnaires as they have respondents - how are they going to draw conclusions from that research?

I've done the flight from Melbourne to London and other European cities many times. I haven't done it in economy for many years because it's brutal. It's not so much the jet lag which isn't as bad going from Australia to UK as it is vice versa (some people have explanations for this) so much as the frightful experience of being beside yourself with tiredness and unable to get anything like sleep. I've travelled premium economy on BA and it is a great deal better than economy and business is even better again. If you buy a full economy fare and have enough points you can often upgrade to a higher grade using those. Last time I did the long haul I pledged to myself that I would never do it again even in business and in future to always take a 2 day stop over in Asia - wherever the flight is transitting. So that would be my advice. Or could you do a leg on a ship to get you to Asia from Australia? or fly to Asia and take a ship to the UK?

I've stayed in 10015 on QM2! Lovely cabin. Is there a button on the page which says something like 'see full benefits'? Anyway, the first panel you showed seems to explain the benefits of that promotion. Telephone Cunard if you are concerned, to check the details and even to book.

Don't forget that New Zealand is the country that produced that great band Crowded House and their pin-point accurate song 'Four Seasons in One Day'. Take a fleecy jacket and a waterproof one too!

Apart from the cruise lines with water slides, which of them isn't heavily skewed towards older passengers? They've got the disposable income and the time.

That was very unusual for there to be shorts and runners at dinner in Queen's Grill. I was in the QG recently and everyone was dressed properly. Cunard is not as formal as it was several years ago even but even so...runners at dinner?

No, they are not back.

Rest assured you won't be finger-printed like a criminal suspect when you get here.

Surely there's a link somewhere on whatever website you're using to request assistance directly from the government agency? Are you using an official Australian government website?

Cunard have emailed notifying of their on-sale dates for the latter half of 2024 and early 2025. 15th or 16th of March depending where in the world you are.

It looks like two separate messes in the two photos. I wonder what was under the towel - there was possibly a reason it was put there in the first place.

Yes, unfortunately, I probably do! Put it down to living in a beach shack for a couple of years or being a farmer both of which supplied ample opportunities to get to know the wildlife. Awful things, rodents. Actually there's a lot around in suburban Melbourne these days. Lots of gardeners reporting having the b****y things eating the fruit and veggies.

I've found that an early and reliable sign of rodents is sawdust-looking particles such as in this photo. This is because rodents gnaw at hard materials such as timber or particle board either to get through or to wear down their teeth. They also eat whatever they can find and leave crumbs/bits behind. You're more likely to find those things than droppings although you can often see those as well but often in a different place. I found evidence of mice at a house I was staying in not long ago - the sign was the husk of grains left on a bed. Turned out the critter had got into a wheat bag used for pain relief.

Definitely looks like rats or mice to me. Looks like months or years since it was vacuumed, too.