NSWP

About time then their employers paid them 'proper wages' and all this tipping nonsense ceases.

There will be a lot of unhappy cruisers if Conflict Islands is missed, let alone the main PNG ports.

On Westerdam end of Nov, Port Arthur is on the itinerary. I wonder if it will remain. Oh well, I have been there before.

Great looking food there @ Sandbar Linda, but perhaps a bit radical for me.

Great pics Geoff, having been on her twice, Alaska and Panama Canal, some years ago, she is a fine vessel. Best in the Princess fleet in my opinion.

I always called it Fairy Floss.

Julie and Rolf went to Sandbar and gave it top marks. The other 5 foodies on my table were all from Canberra, with holiday homes down here. Current and former Govt highflyers, lol. Nice people. I would not go to Sandbar solo, like being in the MDR on a table for one on a cruise ship. Not for me. Being on a table of 6, made for great conversation, you know what I mean. I have a Torbreck wine list from the sampling, although they got no orders from me. The 2021 Woodcutters Red you mentioned, well the Shiraz $24.65 per bottle or $295.80 for 12. What is your golf club price, may I ask?

I shall be. Will E mail the Club CEO today. He was at the dinner with the Operations Manager and a couple of the Club Directors.

Thanks Julie, I knew you would be interested. Yes I should have requested a block or two of ice. Wine service was appalling, several of the quality wines were wasted because of warm temps. As for price, I am a bit out of touch re prices these days. Fine dining is rare in BB, except for Sandbar which you went to for a proper degustation menu.

OK you foodies, Julie, Linda and co. I went to Wine Dinner last night at Catalina Golf Club, 4 hour duration. 10 tables of 6 persons. Started with an hour wine tasting a dozen different wines from Torbreck (Barossa) and Escarpment (NZ.) Then the 4 course dinner which were full size servings, even though it was called a degusation dinner. Food I rated as 7/10 they did a good job. However the wine service was not great, the two white wines for first course were out on the table in glasses a good hour before we sat down, so were warm, I like cold white wine !! The red wines were too warm as well, cold outside so the a/c in the club was going full blast at about 28C, hence the wine temps. The two wine makers there should have supervised the club staff re time of pouring and storage of the wines we had which were all in the $30 to $60 RRP range. The cost was $160 a ticket, all inclusive wine tasting, dinner and accompanying wines. My son and daughter gave it to me for my birthday a couple of months ago. Personally, whilst I enjoyed it, it was not really good value, I reckon $100 max would have been more appropriate. Attached the food/wine menu if you can read it. Have a great day foodies.

That is who I was referring to in my post.

Always booked direct with several cruise lines I have travelled with, except for P&O UK, they did not accept direct bookings for Aussie pax. Had to book through P&O Australia with them, but all ok.

There will be locals offering tours. Beware of scammers. At Suva we got approached by a dodgy looking character who flashed a tour operator card, then tried to take us to his 'cousin's tailor shop to get a suit made. I did a reverse gear. So watch out for this type, hard to pick who is who in the zoo on the wharf.

For you nice North Americans...you need to be hungry to partake of an 'Aussie Corn Dog.'🤣

Stayed at Holiday Inn and Premier Inn @ Southampton. Holiday Inn the better one. Plenty to see in ye olde Southampton, maritime museum a must.

Might be reasonably safe from crime but not from covid. Therein lies the danger.

You should and the 'Love Boat Dream' dessert, although the Creme Brulee is my favourite, accompanied with a side of two scoops of vanilla icecream, lol. All lo cal, lol.

Did a few calls to the Gap, when I worked in the Eastern Suburbs, some were saved, many were not. Doyles used to do a a mid week seniors lunch, for a reasonable price, think it was $25, glass of Doyles plonk and fish and chips, cheap for Doyles, which can be a real tourist rip off.

Right, yep that unforgettable last cruise of ye olde Regal. 10 metre seas and all that.

Sea days, but I am sure on embarkation day it is 12 to 1. They keep it a bit of a secret, they don't want too many pax in there, they steer them to the Horizon Court. We never did the embarkation day lunch, always preferred a later check in, 2 pm or 3pm.

They use the gruyere cheese do they not, a wonderful soup that princess french onion soup, minus the croutons for me. I buy gf croutons in Coles, should put a pack in the suitcase, lol.

I bet pax still arrive well before their allocated check in time so as they can try and make make the MDR for lunch which is only open 12 noon to 1pm, correct?

Was that Northern Explorer cruise 18 days - Freo to Sydney in 2008, Geoff?. We were on that one, ship had just arrived from the Land of the Free. It was all very American back then. The main course in MDR was still called the Entree.

Another icon gone, Vale Olivia Newton~John. RIP.

Nooo, you dont go on a cruise to watch tv, you can do that at home, cheaper, lol. Like the Yanks..always asking ….will the superbowl be on the ships tv, or muts, for gods sake.