MMDown Under

We have travelled a lot on Vancouver Island, usually by hire car, but not from Seattle. That will be a lovely trip to Victoria from Seattle. We have arrived direct from Australia via Vancouver International Airport, as well as flying to Victoria domestically.

Vancouver has always been very expensive because of all the ships which leave Vancouver. Good idea to get combined bus, ferry ticket from Vancouver Airport direct to Victoria, for less expensive accommodation. Lovely place to stay 3 nights.

Agree best curries were on British ships - P&O Chusan and Fred Olsen's Black Watch. On the latter, they had an Indian Night where the variety of Indian food was superb. Told me this is what the Indian/Asian staff eat!

I only mentioned how long this elderly couple have been married as empathy for the situation they find themselves in,

Something can be done. You just need to find an experienced Public Servant with common sense. We're talking about a visit to Australia for three days by an elderly couple from the USA. The husband got his visa immediately but the Passport Office needed more information from the wife, as she had a different name prior to her married name. Most women have a different name prior to their married name. This couple have been married 50 years! This question should be changed for women to exclude their maiden name. To solve the problem, the husband has been advised to also apply for a normal visa, then a transit visa. What next? Maybe someone with common sense will grant them an electronic visa. Simple really!

Sorry to hear that your daughter is also being inconvenienced getting a passport for her daughter. I agree the situation in the Passport Office is a disgrace. Three months for a Passport should have been plenty of time. Hopefully her Federal MP can assist getting your granddaughter a passport in time for her flight to NZ on 5/9.

What will they do away with, when all the special things are gone?

Write to the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, on line and explain your dilemma and the urgency. At least that will get it moved up the line and common sense may prevail. I'm sorry you are being inconvenienced in this way.

That is a lovely name. I'm not surprised she is well behaved as her family has had experience with dogs. She must be enjoying the extra company,

Sorry to hear of your flight delays. I hope you contacted your Seattle hotel to let them know you were still coming a day late. This is an excellent example why you should plan to arrive early for a cruise, esp in Covid times. Bon Voyage!

What is his name? Hope you are getting lots of Attention from the dog.

Good time of year to visit your granddaughter in Townsville. Does she have a dog there? Have you visited beautiful Magnetic Island? The last koala I saw in the wild in Queensland was on Magnetic Island. Enjoy your visit.

Maybe he is visiting his family in Queensland. Weather has been glorious lately after all that winter rain.

Well done! Bon Voyage! Sounds like a great trip!

Is it cold in Eden today?

The best upgrade I've heard of was a free cruise. The passenger is a gambler. I don't agree with paying extra for an upgrade, as it takes all the magic out of getting an upgrade. I was on a cruise once where they announced an Australia Day gathering. Only three people attended. The other couple asked the hosts "did you need to raise more revenue to meet your alcohol targets"?

Australia deserves better. How about an around Australia cruise for starters. Or shorter cruises to Tassie, Vic, SA, Perth, in summer?

Not tempted by Luminosa. Non refundable deposit 200% for singles. I was surprised how boring the itineraries are. PNG itinerary was tempting until I saw only one cruise in November, 2024.

That is easy. Just bring your next special occasion forward. We used to celebrate one daughter's half birthday on 29/6, because her birthday was on 29/12, when all Australian children are on school holidays.

Simply because cruise lines had a monopoly in Australia. A bit like companies selling books, which divided the world for their benefit.

I have close friends in the US but it wasn't necessary to use their addresses. I still receive specials from the TA, as recently as this month. I never believed paying passengers wouldn't be allowed to board, if they bought their cruise fare from a US TA. If it was true, I would have bought land travel direct! Of course, I buy Australian cruises direct from Australian cruise line in Australia.

I have booked a number of overseas cruises through a USTA, using my Australian address. I book all my overseas travel direct as well (hotel, transport, theatre, etc.) I just don't see why booking overseas cruises should be any different.

Cruising on small ships there are a lot of tender ports. Many to exotic places, so hard to pick a favourite. Last tender ports were Cooktown and small Queensland coastal islands. However I don't like tender ports on big ships with a lot of passengers.

Wow that is impressive that you've had three attempts to land at Easter Island and made one! Were these cruises from South America or Tahiti?

Bon Voyage!