Aus Traveller

When we had a claim after a theft in Europe, I had to provide a receipt for a price of jewellery. Some clothes were also stolen, but we were not asked for receipts for them.

We have seen red checked blankets on Princess.

We sailed many times in a cabin directly under the buffet on the Sea Princess. We never heard a sound.

January and February are the wet season in northern Australia. Very hot, very humid and most likely rain with the possibility of a cyclone.

That was my theory Julie - that the suitcase was delivered to someone else's cabin and that they didn't do anything about it. At the end of the cruise, the cabin steward would have found it in the cabin after the occupants had left. When the owners of the suitcase say that it was on the ship the whole time, I can't think of another explanation. It couldn't have been left in the luggage trolleys - it would have been seen immediately.

The OP asked for a hotel near the airport and the cruise terminal and one that would "work to see some of the area". We know there isn't any accommodation near the cruise terminal. They could either go to an airport hotel that is a long way from anything that would interest a visitor in the way or sightseeing, or one in the centre of Brisbane where they could do sightseeing. I felt a central Brisbane hotel would involve less cost in taxi fares. Up to them but I know which one I would prefer.🙂

The problem with using a Hamilton motel as a base, is that the ferry ride up the river is slow, then it is the same slow ride back at the end of the day.

The OP is asking about accommodation after their cruise and before flying to San Francisco. They want a hotel that can be used a a base for sightseeing before they fly home.

There is no accommodation near the ship terminal in Brisbane. If you were simply spending the night and weren't interested in sightseeing I would suggest one of the motels in Hamilton (20 minutes' drive away). However, these motels are not good when you want to go sightseeing for a day. In my opinion, you should definitely look for accommodation in the centre of Brisbane city. There is quite a range of accommodation available.

In my opinion (as a former travel guide writer!) Canberra is certainly worth the trip. I feel it is magnificent. The city is beautifully laid out around a large lake, Parliament house is superb (and worth going on a free tour), the War Museum is worth a visit. You could probably see all the sights in one full day.

That is the puzzle. If the bag tag was torn off, once the passengers enquired about their bag, it would have been delivered to them. They claim it was on the ship the whole time. I wonder if it was delivered to the wrong cabin and the occupants of that cabin didn't bother to do anything about the bag that wasn't theirs. Although that scenario seems rather unlikely given the lack of space in cabins.

I wonder if the man you refer to actually had a bag on the luggage carousel. 🙂 Maybe he thought your bag looked so good, it must have expensive stuff inside.

We have one black and one navy blue, but we have distinctive luggage straps and also a very bright red & white tie on the top handle.

It depends on which cruise line you will be travelling with. I know that Princess will supply you with distilled water for use in your CPAP machines. You just have to apply under the medical section. On most cruise ships you cannot take a power board that is surge protected. Obviously a ship is not 'earthed' the way a house is so a power surge to a power board that is surge protected can cause a fire. You can take extension cords and a double adapter or a power board that isn't surge protected. PS. Check if P&O will supply you with distilled water.

I haven't ever seen the waiters' names on the MDR table either.

I have never seen staff wearing hats with number 10 on them.

We have always received an email with a survey within a couple of days of returning home.

We have travelled exensively in the US many times, driving across the country several times. We have also travelled a lot in Australia. I wrote travel guide books for 15 years. There is more to see in an 'around the USA' (west-east, north-south, east-west, then south-north) compared with 'around Australia'.

I don't think they would have sufficient time to make the drive from Cairns to Brisbane worthwhile. They probably mean they have a few days. Even if they had a spare week, there are better ways to spend it - Canberra, more time in Sydney, more time in SE Q'ld.

The road trip Cairns to Brisbane is only for people with a lot of time. I certainly would not recommend it for overseas tourists unless they were in Australia for several months.

The bans are because of two recent shark attacks. So it's likely swimming is also out at Amadee.

Great. As I said, we like to share.

I agree. In a month's time we will find out if sharing tables is back on the menu. 🙂

We like to share but on our P&O cruises last year they did not seat you with other passengers unless you were travelling with them. I found this a disadvantage because I like to go to the dining room for breakfast and lunch but my husband prefers the buffet for these meals. When I went into the dining room on my own, I was seated at a table on my own. I used to joke that I felt I was in the naughty corner, or "I should have brought as book". It made no difference. I felt this policy was COVID related. It might have changed recently.

I agree. The Melbourne Cup will have absolutely no effect on availability of flights from Cairns to Sydney a few days before the Cup. It would be a different matter if you wanted to fly into Melbourne a couple of days before the Cup. Cup Day is a public holiday in Victoria only, but beyond that it wouldn't be noticeable. Businesses and shops don't close, although I wouldn't telephone anyone around the time the race is run.