MMDown Under

Sounds like this ship IS the destination!

Oh yes My favourite place on earth is Aitutaki, which is one of the Cook Islands smaller islands. It is surrounded by a beautiful turquoise lagoon and a coral reef. The local people are very friendly and they sing and dance like Angels.

Sounds wonderful. Just 7 neighbourhoods to go, Eileen. You'll run out of days. Such a shame the theatre was only half full for the show. Did you recognise any of the songs? Yes, it is off season now. I discovered that when we visited Crete as all the tourists had gone home. I found MSC had superb world class entertainment, which was not language based because of all the different nationalities on board. Their Cirque du Soleil show was brilliant, as good as the real thing! Will be interesting to compare ships

I have been waiting for the Cook Islands to open again. I was so excited, I didn't have time to quote my source.

Not so predictable for visitors from interstate I learnt to take everything for a day of tennis, including a towel to wipe the seat when the ran stopped and tennis started again.

Waiting for the tram home from the tennis, I commented "We've had every weather today, except hail!" Yes, you've guessed it - It started to hail.

Thanks for the laugh. I think you'd better talk to the Specialist! Don't ask me how this got here!

If that is true, maybe the cruise line may have to underwrite their own insurance policies

Which South Pacific Islands (and neighbouring countries) are now open for business? Cook Islands

Well done! What an excellent idea. As an independent traveller, I'd love access to a video like this for all my ports of call. Melbourne has a lot to offer visitors and is an easy city to get around.

Suggestion - Wear a wide brimmed hat and take water with you. It is a lovely walk along the waterfront.

Good service by Rent Seven Seas. Good news that third party visa service providers can no longer secure the ETA on behalf of travellers to Aust. Some were charging excessive amounts for ETAs which are free. ($20 Aus for processing by Aust Govt).

My friends nephew used to fail the explosives test. He worked for the Flying Doctor.

Do you have a good view of land?

Bon Voyage! Friends of mine just flew economy from Sydney to Malta. Took 40 hours! Wow Wonder is the biggest ship in the world. Have you made it to the 8 unique neighbourhoods yet? How many passengers? How many official languages on board? Good that it was easy to book all the entertainment. How long is the cruise and the itinerary? What a wonderful adventure!

Must be nice to go to a Grand Final with your sons. Do you all barrack for the same team? Enjoy! The blue and cold bunting and balloons have gone up in Parramatta. I told someone I supported Cowboys and she said they nearly died at the end because they thought they had lost.

I think a better option when someone needs care is to have someone live in. At least initially, which is what happened with members of my family.

The pie experts on this thread may know that. I only buy pies hot from local bakeries. Glad you got to see your mother and other family members. I was afraid to ask in case you went home for bad news. How old is your mum? She must be delighted to see you. I think we all have aged significantly, especially seniors. (BTW My daughter, who did her Masters at Melbourne Uni on line during Covid, is implementing her thesis at work, so it wasn't a waste.)

Sydney hasn't been as bad as forecast. It has been fine and sunny part of each day. Bad storm with thunder and lightning one night. I still cart my umbrella just in case.

good to see you finally got to Perth! Is this your first visit since Covid? And the story of the photos are?

You must be like one of my two daughters who always gets searched by security overseas.

I understand. Travel insurance cost for Seniors makes travel to the USA unaffordable. Researching QM2 cruises, London to NYC is now out of the question. I should be grateful UK is still an option.

Did you get to experience rough weather with QM2 cutting through the waves?

Aren't you tempted to just look at what is available and price? It has been so long, I'd forgotten just how enjoyable researching holidays is. And frustrating. A couple of cruises I was interested in are full! Of course, they may have vacancies closer to departure in 2023.

i'm sure they will. Americans love Australia/NZ and they love Disney. It is a winner for Australia, esp if it is one of their older ships. Count this one as practice. In the meantime, if you like long haul flights, have a look at WDW, Florida. Disneyland is only one of their Kingdoms it has four theme parks - EPCOT, ANIMAL KINGDOM, HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS, MAGIC KINGDOM PLUS BLIZZARD BEACH AND TYPHOON LAGOON WATER PARKS, plus Disney Theme shops galore. WDW Theme Parks closed for 2 days due to Hurricane Ian.