bazzaw

No - "no News is bad News" is correct - quick, we will have to think something up!!!

I am not sure that our problem here in Oz is the current unavailability of the most recent vaccine - but is that people are not getting updated every 6 months or so. I do dread the idea that we should have to be vaccinated every 6 months - and have personally got around that problem because we had the virus in Feb - and hence did not have to have another booster (total of 5 shots now) until August . I have been hoping that we might see a once per year combined influenza/Covid shot. However it appears (and confirmed by the QLD CHO) that the current Covid is quite mild (except for some people) - and I am more concerned about dying on the roads than getting Covid. I do think that there is some truth in the rumour that the only way to get Covid today is to get tested for it!! 🙂

I am sure that the same psychedelic drug was used by the interior designer for both ships.

The Qld Chief Health Officer has just been on the TV saying that he will not be recommending the mandatory use of masks. Finally, some sanity prevails. He also said that the majority of hospitalisations in Qld in this latest "wave" are people over 65 who have not had a booster shot in 2023.

You were lucky - we didn't even arrive at the commercial dockyard until 2:30 PM - also on a Monday (most everything closed) - total waste of time

"The doctor on a cruise ship stricken by COVID-19 and gastro has declared the outbreak over, but concern remains over an uptick in cases in the broader community. Passengers began disembarking the Grand Princess cruise ship after it docked in Adelaide on Monday morning following an 18-day round trip to Queensland and back. Three passengers and two crew members had gastro while eight guests were suffering from COVID-like symptoms, SA Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier said. She said the case numbers were relatively small compared to the ship's population of more than 2500 guests and 1000 crew. "I commend the company," she told reporters on Monday. "They have very good infection prevention and control mechanisms in place and protocols to deal with outbreaks. And those outbreaks came down very, very quickly as the staff instituted those measures." -- *****!!!!!!!!

The unwritten motto of the main stream motto is "no News is bad news" - anything for a headline and distraction of the peasants.

I cant see what the price is for the Salmon pieces. Thought I might be able to compare it to the $42 per kg currently being charged by our local Woolies. Many many many years ago while touring Germany - long before the Euro - we saw prawns on display for X Deutschmarks - I thought it meant per KG so I ordered 1 kg . Turned out that the sign said X Deutschmarks per 100 grams - an expensive mistake on my part 😞

How did you actually do this - book everything in advance?

Can you tell us more about the "mechanics" of organising this please. Did you book a "segment" of the overall trip and then try to get accomodation for a couple of nights in the port, before booking the ravel/accomodation for the next segment? This could be a bit of a "chicken or the egg - what comes first " thing. - maybe you could book the ship for a particular segment , but not be able to find suitable accomodation?

Wife and I have done ten Cunard cruises - 6 of which commenced from the UK , one TransPacific commenced from the USA, and three from AUS ports. I think I can say that the cruises in European, UK and US waters are different kettles of fish than those which were in Aussie waters. Mainly from the dress code point of view. I have heard Australian dress sense being described as "casual to the point of indifference"

Somewhere different? Anything would beat Lifou as a visit port.

Just curious as we are heading to Japan next year - how much was this meal?

As far as I understand, it is what you book it for on the day - same as airfares. Price changes everyday depending on the loading factor - something like that.

Is the Disney cruise brand going to work in Oz? It is a long time between school holidays. and this article tells me that it is VERY child oriented https://www.kidspot.com.au/lifestyle/family-travel/5-things-you-need-to-know-before-you-set-sail-on-a-disney-cruise/news-story/a74d4c1f2b74e550ee33be6058467444

Lilepa Island??? I recall a real estate billboard sign which said "New land Coming!". I wondered where it was going to come from.

What - and how /where - did you eat?? Wife and I are adventurous in our eating but speak no Japanese 😞

There are many ports in Japan - and I know that in other places in the World it is often necessary to get away from the port to see anything worth experiencing. I was disappointed in Hawaii - obviously had the wrong idea about the islands and found that it was indeed necessary to take shore tours in most of the ports there. So - how about Japan?? Are we going to have to take a tour at all ports? We don't know a great deal about Japan and really only want to see people, culture and food, nature and gardens also high on the list. Any advice please?

There seems to be an article in the Brisbane Courier Mail regarding this possibility - but I can't read it due to the newspapers firewall. "Pie in the sky" or a real possibility?. I must say that I was VERY impressed with the current Brisbane terminal at our one and only use of it - especially for embarkation. It is a long way form nowhere and the road is abysmal and there was a strong odour from the adjacent "water treatment plant" on our return (none on embarkation day). Can't say the disembarkation was as good - and I remembered that we should try to self disembark in future. Of course wife and I have no need really to get off the ship ASAP but what does one do with oneself while waiting around onboard the ship. ?? What does everyone else do??

We never know what difficulties are in the background. What appears simple to us - is complicated by things we are not aware of. But trying to be all things to all people never works. The problem itself is quite simple - how to physically get 3000 tickets to people who want to go ashore? Some want to go as a group - some sleep late- some want to have breakfast before they leave . !!! Impossible!!!! The problem is this case was simply physically getting tickets to the large number of people onboard. You would have to have seen/experienced this queue to understand me - it took me 30 minutes to even find the end of the queue. What was "queue" and what was people standing around?? How many passengers were on the ship??? What has happened on previous cruises? Is this the norm??? This was our 26th cruise - all around the World on different ships and cruiselines. I have never experienced anything like this before.

During our recent cruise on P&O Pacific Endeavor. I witnessed and took part in the longest queue that I have ever seen on a cruiseship - for people to collect bus tickets for the Noumea dockyard that afternoon and tender tickets for the following day at Lifou. I guess it must have been the first time that P&O have visited these ports?

But if you leave the auto-grats on, then I have the nagging thought that the stewards/waiters will be looking for another tip. I have yet to discover any staff onboard that has given me any service above and beyond what I believe to be their job. I dont really care what they are paid- that is none of my business- it's up to them and their employers what they are paid for their work. I feel no obligation to become an American when cruising.

I think you have hit the nail on the head with that phrase 🙂 - in more ways than just one.

SOLD!!! Actually thinking of a HAL cruise around Japan. We have friends who are HAL afficianados - from what they describe, HAL seems like a kind of American Cunard?.

We had two very friendly cabin stewards - and we were asked on joining whether we wanted our cabin serviced once or twice per day. We chose once . I do have to say that the staff onboard were mostly all very friendly and respectful - a few crab apples early in the morning but we understand what long and hard hours they work. As far as we could make out, it seems that nobody except entertainment staff ever left the ship on port days.