arxcards

For restaurant bookings, there is the app and there is the line-up at Dragon Lady after boarding. Especially for the 1st night, I have found it easiest to drop our bags at our cabin then pick-up the cabin phone to make our dinner reservation(s). On shorter cruises, we will book every night with the one phone call, and can adjust later if we spot something special on one of the menus.

2) Try Airolodge, as they had a shuttle option when I last checked. We like Alcyone Apartments, but they are a bit dearer than the Kingsford Smith Drive hotels, and no free shuttle. 3) Luke's Bar & Grill is an evolution of Salt Grill. Many of the menu items are the same/similar.

Just the messenger here. It looks like the current protocols will be in play until the end of the year, at least. That is what the following Carnival communication is expecting, which is the current expectation for our Splendor cruise on Boxing Day.

Isn't this cruisecricket.com? 🤣

You can, always. Also you can still replace a dish if it is cold. It depends on the night though, as there are times you are happy to settle for the overdue plate in front of you.

What is this spirit of the game we talk about? Gilly is the only player I have seen in the last 40 years to always walk after nicking behind, and is almost universally applauded for his respect of conventions of the game. Playing to the rules of the game is paying respect to the spirit of the game. Anything beyond that is just taking pity of your opponent. By the rules of the game, the Starc catch was not out. By the rules of the game, Bairstow was out.

Lot long into the Suez Canal.

I have a Norfolk Island connection with a Pitcairner line in my tree, so also a good reason for me to spend some time there one day. My mum spent a week there in May and had a great time except for a rental car that kept breaking down.

An absolute shame. I am hoping that when the balance sheets have settled and everything is back to normal that they may eventually get a 3rd ship back here, and either vision or radiance class is OK by me. I do get the feeling that WOW is all about getting bigger and they would rather work towards an Oasis class ship than a 3rd smaller ship or a year round ship. And yes, Eden & Brilliance are compatible.

I hope everyone got to do their special tours from Aqaba. Maybe a fix too?? Currently clocking 19kn back through the Gulf of Arabia.

Cool. Very calm day. Seems strange to be using local boats for tendering.

I am not sure I can be of much help Libby. We haven't dined in any of these on Encounter, and not since the first cruise back last May/June, so I don't know if they are improving or not. I look at the concept of the 3 different dining venues as one big dining room with 3 different menus and spaces. All three restaurants are supplied from the same kitchen. With that in mind, they all have the same pluses or minuses with food standard, variety & service so it is all about which menu you prefer. I prefer the Angelos menu & space, as it is a bit more traditional. Angelos and Dragon Lady launched on Eden & Aria in Nov 2015 and were a great concept, but it is about time the menus had a decent shake-up, as they have hardly changed in that time. We usually saved Luke's till the last night, so we could leave the ship on good terms.

It is downstairs? For our past occasions, they were fine with anyone going through the side door to access toilets etc, but also preventing anyone from getting to the escalator.

Hmm, yes. It has disappeared from P&O's website regarding dining options. It is still marked in part of the pantry on the deck plans, but those are harder to update. Looks like we can all applaud the demise of the seafood tower 😁

To be clear with terms, if you are travelling here or NZ for holidays, you do not need a visa - but you do need to apply for Visa Waivers (ETA & NZeTA - Electronic Travel Authorities). In principle, these ETA's are free, but come with a $AU20 admin fee, and they are good for a couple of years. It doesn't matter how long you are in Australia. If you want to leave the airport, you will need to complete the ETA. Most contributors here don't get these for our resident country, and we have reciprocal arrangements between Australia & New Zealand. We do complete similar online ESTA forms to be able to enter the US though.

The bold bit ceased being exclusive decades ago. I used to buy it in the bottle shop of David Jones in Newcastle in the early 80's. Pre-covid, I bought a bottle from the cellar at Drayton's and it is available on their website as well.

Hard to pick. Promos tend to link to where you have booked from, not necessarily where you are cruising. The UK could be different to here, but Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend in late November usually has something. Hopefully they don't increase the base price beforehand.

Here's a recent one .

I have bought it in other places other than Wollombi Tavern, but I have rarely seen it outside the Hunter Valley. It is made and bottled at Drayton's wines at Pokolbin, so readily available for any Hunter Valley vineyard tour. For Sydney, it might be a test of your hotel concierge to see if they have a way of obtaining a bottle for you.

Messina has significant ship maintenance facilities. Hopefully it can all be solved there. Enjoy the ride.

There were still quite a few large tables in use for open seating for breakfast & lunch, as well as the "high chair" stools & tables in the middle. That was the go for Explorer last year, but I wonder if P&O has rethought how the layout works for Encounter & Adventure. We do prefer small table stuff for breakfast & dinner, but usually share at lunch. Main point is that we often skip the first course, and are twiddling our thumbs for 30 to 40 mins while others at the table are eating their entrees. At least with those rows of very adjacent tables, you can be served out of sequence with those around you.

Yes, there are much better hotels in Hamilton that offer a free shuttle to BICT, as long as it is arranged with the booking (means booking direct and not via one of the accommodation apps). They also offer a short walk to catch the cat into the city, and heaps of nearby places to eat. I only mention Trade Coast, as it matches the industrial ambience of the area that will not attract an international standard hotel. As Sinbad mentioned, that is the nicest that hotel has ever been, as it used to be a main watering hole for wharf and abattoir workers. I have no problems just paying a cab fare between the airport/Hamilton area hotel/cruise terminal.

Agreed. And you can take your camera.