lucymorgan

If you do go to skygate, you have to walk through skygate and out into the carpark on the other side - the TKMaxx is at the other end of the carpark - not far but still in another building. 🙂

We have cruised out of Brisbane a couple of times (arriving/departing by air). From the airport, we got a free shuttle (https://www.bne.com.au/sites/default/files/2017-08/Brisbane Airport Skygate Loop Timetable - July 2017.pdf) to the Skygate Shopping Centre (+DFO) which has a big woolworths and lots of shops and restaurants, stayed at the Novotel https://novotelbrisbaneairport.com.au/, then next day caught a taxi to the port. It is a shorter distance than taking a taxi from the airport. After the cruise, we catch a taxi to the airport, check in our bags then if we have a late flight catch the shuttle back to Skygate and then return to the airport in time for our flight. Here is the website for the Skygate shopping centre https://www.skygate.com.au/

There were many of these in the botanic gardens if you like wildlife 🙂 . IMG_2802.mov

Following on from tip about early checkin at the airport, if you do want to go elsewhere in Singapore for the day, you can go to terminal 2 or 3(can walk from Terminal 1 or catch a free skytrain then downstairs) to get to the airport MRT station. We found this because we purchased the refundable Singapore Tourist Pass and this is where you get your refund (10 SGD per pass). You can also buy the tourist pass at the same ticket office on arrival. https://thesingaporetouristpass.com.sg/type-of-passes/

Since the discussion is broadening out a bit, I have a tip about departing for home. Whether you get off the ship and fly straight home or stay a bit longer in Singapore, many of the flights to Oz leave at night so it can be a long long day. Some people book day rooms or arrange late checkout and showers, but the option we took was to catch a cab to the airport Terminal 1, then walk straight through from the terminal to the Jewel shopping mall. The BIG advantage of doing this is you can check in for many airlines and drop your luggage very early - up to 24 hours ahead, instead of having to wait until less than 3 hours before departure. This frees up the day (and stops you having to look after your luggage) to either stay in Jewel or head off somewhere else and return later. Here are the details https://www.changiairport.com/en/airport-guide/departing/early-checkin-online.html Our waiter on our cruise was heading home and getting off at 8.30 am. He was worried about what he would do while waiting for his flight with Philipine Airlines late at night as he didn't want to pay for luggage storage. As I had the same issue, I found this option. This service is free and very well organised!

just wanted to add to my previous post that once you crossed the road to Bugis+, you could walk in airconditioning to the MRT station (which is attached to the basement level of the Bugis junction) - had to go up a level in Bugis+ then down 2 in Bugis Junction

We booked Mercure Singapore Bugis on an advanced saver rate direct on the accor site. This was for their most expensive room - a loft with club access includng happy hour with 3 dishes, house wine, beer, soft drinks, coffee machine and breakfast. The room was small but adequate and had a coffee machine. There is a guest laundry on the pool deck. The hotel was nice and across the road from a large shopping mall (Bugis+ and Bugis Junction and MRT station), including many many food places and a nice supermarket which sells wine 😀 - CS Fresh. Booking a loft was a mistake for someone with bad knees! 😅 They got us a taxi to the cruise port for only about $12 using the Zig app ADVANCE SAVER RATE - BED AND BREAKFAST 2 x SGD 292.79 per night xx Dec 2023 to xx Dec 2023 This room features a queen bed on mezzanine floor and a Nespresso machine. Inclusive of access to Privilege Lounge with complimentary all-day refreshments and evening cocktails. Up to 2 adults. No rollaway bed allowed and no children allowed at the lounge SGD 585.58

Thanks for all the suggestions! 🥀 I knew a lot of them but it is interesting to have them confirmed for HAL.

We are experienced cruisers, mostly on RCI, and enjoy the status perk of lounge/happy hour access on RCI and Celebrity because it gives a nice opportunity to see people multiple times and make new acquantances over the course of a cruise. We enjoyed the one HAL cruise we have done, particularly the better music options, ports, the lectures, and the vibe. I am considering another HAL cruise. As we haven't cruised much at all on HAL we would not have access to a lounge or regular loyalty event unless we booked a high level suite, so I am wondering about opportunities to chat with other cruisers when you don't have that sort of benefit. Any suggestions? Thank you!

We cruise with my elderly mother and it was very easy to catch cabs everywhere. The cab drivers are very courteous, but most do not speak English. The solution to this is to make sure you get a map for each port as soon as you get off the ship (they all have them) and/or that you know how to use google maps. With google maps if you search for the places you want to go, and zoom in the names of the places will show up in Japanese which can be shown to the driver. The cabs are old style but very very clean and very reasonably priced. The driver will wait for you too at your destination for a reasonable price if you are at all concerned about getting back. It is is well worth researching the ports as many can be done using public transport too. Google translate or similar might also be useful.

That sounds awful - understandable but the length of time taken sounds excessive. Perhaps they were tipped off about something. My worst experience was being pinged when I went through one of those new whole body scanners at the airport. I have had a double mastectomy due to cancer and was wearing false boobs. They were picked up by the scanner as crosses on my chest and I was asked to rub them with my hands then touch the explosives detection wand. Quite embarrassing! 😟 (But also a bit amusing) Since then I have not bothered with the falsies until after I am through security.

Happy planning! I just wanted to mention that I have heard good things about Fiji Airways and they are having a bit of a blitz on sales at the moment. The airline has a good reputation and a lot of Aussies 'in the know' are booking flights with them. They are a qantas/oneworld partner. I haven't flown with them myself. Fiji might be an alternative stopover to Hawaii for you to consider. https://www.fijiairways.com/en-au/

I've found it very much worth it to collect frequent flyer points - either for upgrades to J (business class) or purchasing J or PE (premium economy) seats. There are a number of sites that help with this if you are in Australia. For example, australian frequent flyer, point hacks and a number of groups on soc med - e.g. qantas points collectors and woolworths reward enthusiasts. For example I recently scored 2 business class tickets Syd to Singapore with British Airways using points. People often say it is difficult but it isn't if you have time, are willing to learn the tricks and are willing to plan. Happy collecting if you decide to do this!

Thanks - Great idea - I'll go and look now

Good topic! I am considering a spectrum cruise and was looking at rooms. I was wondering about the sky balconies and sky junior suites which are more expensive than a grand suite on the couple of cruises I looked at. I had heard there was a different suite/loyalty set up but don't know where to find details.

This one makes me laugh

I want to add another strategy to add to the list of those already mentioned. I am immunocompromised and have done three cruises since startup. On the second one we caught covid and I believe it was from a bus excursion where we were on the bus for about 2 hours in each direction with people coughing. The strategy I want to add is nasal spray (and also mouthwash). For many many years I have successfully used nasal sprays that contain carrageenan (a form of seaweed) for long haul flights to avoid catching colds or flus. The first brand that was available, Vicks First Defence, no longer contains carageenan. A brand that still does is Flo travel spray. It can be difficult to find because people who have read some of the clinical trial reports know that it could help to avoid covid if you have been exposed. I have now also purchased "Enovid" (also known as Sanotize)- you can not purchase this in Australia but it its active ingredient is apparently even better than carageenan for clearing your nasal passages of covid. It was invented in Canada and is sold in Israel. Another brand invented in Australia but, very annoyingly, not yet available here is 'Viraleze'. You can search for yourself to find the clinical trials that talk about using nasal sprays when you have or are likely to be in contact with people who are positive. There is also some evidence that mouthwashes help to clear your mouth and throat of covid virus. So I take a nasal spray and a mouthwash now when I go on a cruise.

We were on pacific encounter in November - our first P&O Australia cruise. I was very pleasantly surprised. We had a suite for less than half the cost of other lines and I think a byron bay minisuite would have been great. If you can upgrade your booking to one of those I think you would be beyond satisfied - they have the byron bay club which has its own area with cabanas, bar service etc. The balcony staterooms are smaller than some of the other lines but still fine for 2 people. I think the food onboard in the complementary restaurants was very good and the upcharge for lukes was very cheap. Here are a few pics.

I bought Enovid online at Israel Pharmacy. Expensive but I like the reassurance of being able to use it after being in crowded places. Another option is Viraleze which was invented here but has still not been approved for use here 🙄- that is available in the UK. The good thing about these products is they protect against all sorts of viruses. I've used Vicks First Defence successfully for years for long distance flying (until they changed their formula), then the latest one available in Australia is Flo Travel spray. These are sprays containing carageenan which is made from seaweed. They are less effective than enovid but still worthwhile. Unfortunately Flo Travel spray can be hard to find. People in the know (including me) buy them as soon as they are stocked.

No - not what the studies say. Despite being on quite a high dose of hcq, I got pretty sick with covid after my last cruise - needing the antivirals. When Trump said that, hydroxychloroquine became almost impossible to get. I rushed straight out and filled my script (inflammatory arthritis). I was dismayed to hear that some doctors (and dentists!!!) in Australia were prescribing it for their family members and friends. This led to the TGA implementing new rules that meant that a initial script could only be written by specialists to stop this rorting of the system. https://www.tga.gov.au/news/safety-alerts/new-restrictions-prescribing-hydroxychloroquine-covid-19 When I had to fill my script again some time later the pharmacist asked me how I managed to get some during this period. It is a bit like the current shortage of ozempic which is a vital diabetic drug which they have discovered is great for weight loss and now diabetics are struggling to find it. (The moral is to make sure you are stocked up on the medicines you need in this uncertain world) Despite being pretty immunocompromised, I am still cruising and travelling overseas (with whatever precautions I can make) because it is a fair chance that within a few years I will no longer be able to get travel insurance (so a now or maybe never situation). One mitigation in my bag of tricks is the nasal sprays that cannot yet be obtained in Australia (but can be obtained os, despite one of them being invented here!) The one I have sourced is enovid.

Qantas and AirNZ are pretty strict on carry on. Checked baggage (with limits) is free partly to discourage people from cramming everything into carryon to save money on checked luggage and filling up the overhead bins. When we travelled to the US I had to train my husband to get on the planes as soon as possible as unlike in Australia where you can usually find space in an overhead locker regardless of when you board, in the US the lockers filled up very quickly. As Buchhalm said if the flights are all on the same ticket, the most generous allowance usually applies. My nephew recently returned to Australia with Qatar and because the last flight on his ticket was a domestic virgin flight with a generous bag allowance, he wasn't charged excess baggage by Qatar, whereas a colleague was charged more than $200 simply because they did not have the virgin domestic flight on their ticket.

I agree too. Taxis are easy to catch from the airport and it is easier to just queue briefly than prebook. They have strict rules and helpful supervisors so you will be fine. Here is some info https://www.sydneyairport.com.au/info-sheet/by-taxi-and-rideshare edit: Also, the supervisor will generally not expect a tip either.

We have caught the airtrain from the airport to the city and it is good - fast, leaves from right outside the terminal, frequent. I deliberately book a hotel close to central station - the Adina is right across the street and is a decent hotel. If you are staying around the queen street mall area, it is downhill from central station so it is a fairly easy walk. If you go to their site https://www.airtrain.com.au/booking-form/ under 'tickets' you will find offers and there is a fare called the city duo saver which gives you a pretty good discount for one way travel for two ($28 AUD for two). There is also an advance purchase offer. If you are flying straight out after your cruise you probably don't want return tickets.

I have flown QATAR and agree the service was excellent. I was well aware that they receive significant funding from the government. However after the terrible incident where the authorities were searching for the mother of an abandoned infant and did invasive searches of a number of women, including Australians and others transiting through doha, I will not fly them again. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/nov/15/australian-women-to-sue-qatar-over-invasive-strip-search-ordeal From what I understand there have not been changes to stop it happening again either.

I have taken a dozen zero alcohol cans of wine and mixed drinks onboard both P&O and Royal Caribbean in the last few months. No problems. I have even purchased additional drinks in small amounts at ports and brought them on. I think I once showed the cans were clearly marked non-alcoholic and it was fine. Not sure about carnival or princess but if their policy is the same as P&O it should be ok.