Janet&Carl

i did a similar cruise last September with my 92 year old mother we flew to Seattle and sailed back to Sydney. Like you I was very nervous but it was a breeze. So good infact we are doing it again.

Quite a few people have mentioned that they are travelling solo. A travel mate is setting up a meet and greet for solo people to meet up and maybe find people to quiz with or have dinner with. We did this last year on the Transatlantic from Seattle to Sydney. We always managed a table for 8 - 10 at dinner. It was really pleasant. So if you want some people to chat with and care to join us we are getting together at the Red Frog Pub at 3 pm on Friday (first sea day). See you there !

There are ways and means that they don't bother about. wear everything - stuff the pockets - weigh your bags then repack 😉 If there are two of you get the other to hold your gear go get weighed then swap 😉

Depends on the airline. Jetstar will weigh your carry on - it has to be less than 7 kilos which includes the small case in the overhead and any small bag that you put under the seat (handbag). You are only allowed two items and if you have more one of them will need to be checked. They will charge you approx $60 AUD to check your bag if you are overweight or have more than two items (even if they all are under 7 kilo combined). Virgin and Qantas are much more flexible. The check in system is automated and so is the bag drop for your checked luggage. You cannot be late or the system will reject you. Check with the airline that you book with how long you have before the flight to bag drop close. They all differ and range from 1 hour to 1/2 before the flight. I must mention that on Jetstar you can purchase extra cabin allowance to 14 kilos but it must still be two items.

Jetstar are really strict on baggage and will weigh your carry on. Never been weighed with Qantas or Virgin.

We found that staying in town was better than near the airport. The airport is a long way out and not a very pleasant area. There are private shuttles but no port shuttle so you have to book your own. Ours was nearly 2 hours late and when we got to the cruise terminal the queues were enormous.

My elderly mother and I just booked this cruise - flights and insurance are going to cost a bomb !

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We paid $135 USD each in November 2019 which I thought was great. No additional costs. Picked up at the port, entrance fee to Petra with guide, lunch and return to port all inclusive.

Just FYI the person in front of me had prescription meds - he ticked yes on the form. He was asked by the person checking the form if they were from a Dr. by prescription he said yes to that question. He was sent to be searched - in a long queue. I ticked no on my form - wasnt asked anything and departed straight through the exit. I am fully aware of the implications to answering questions wrong. But I dont see my items as prohibited. They are on prescription so we get the PBS benefit - not because they are "prohibited". Most drugs (except narcotics) are on prescription but no prohibited. If they can be bought over the counter at full price ( for example insulin, blood pressure meds etc...) they are not prohibited items albiet that they are prescribed by a Dr. \ I hope this makes sense lol

Hegra is 7 hours away from Jeddah, how are you getting there?

Just returned from Azamara Pursuit - we tried it with a view to booking a World Cruise on Azamara. I'm glad we tried it - we won't book a WC and are still looking for a suitable ship for us. The ship is lovely, the staff fantastic, the food is delicious. The entertainment is a let down. The ship is old and creeks when at sea - all night every night, and I'm a light sleeper. The major drawback for me was the three nights we had (2 of) 5 meter and an 8 meter swell. We sailed the Med and I have done the med and crossings before and not had a problem on bigger ships with stabilizers but I was not well on this older, smaller ship.

You will probably know my next door neighbour who was heavily involved in organising the Wooden Boat Festival for many years. 🙂 Do you stay in Franklin ?

I agree whenever i have visitors I take them to the Channel area after the obligatory stop up the mountain. The roads are not too busy and the scenery fabulous. I do a loop - down the Channel hwy as far as Woodbridge then up over the hill with a stop on the way out to look out at the Channel/ Bruny Island. then over to Cygnet and up through Huonville back to town.

If you have a drink package (prepaid or included) there are no further charges on your account. Credit card links are easy - you do it from any of the terminals around the ship.

This is a link to the form you fill out ... it only asks if you are bringing "prohibited" drugs in - I always answer no because my drugs are by prescription and are not prohibited by this definition. https://www.abf.gov.au/entering-leaving-australia/files/ipc-sample-english.pdf

I just recently returned from overseas twice. Once through a cruise port in Sydney and once through the Airport in Melbourne. At the airport the guy in front of me was asked if he had medication and was sent to be checked - I had heaps of medications and was sent straight through. I did not declare anything, i wasnt asked . I dont recall the form you fill out asking for it because I would have answered honestly !

Speedy response by Costa to my phone call and email requesting clarification of charges. Mistakes happen everywhere and this one was easily fixed.

We did a fantastic and reasonably priced tour with Wonders travel and Tourism in 2019. It included a lovely lunch and was not too strenuous. Although I did feel sorry for the horses clattering up the cobbles at speed with too many tourists in the cart and suggest you walk and enjoy the experience rather than take the horses. I have cut and pasted their details. They collected us in a small van at the port - they were ready and waiting for us. Then transferred us to Petra. After the walk through Petra we went to "mamas" for lunch and then a leisurely ride back to the ship.

Does anyone have any experience of getting charges to a Visa card reversed? I have had charges applied to my account after I left the ship. I could let a few dollars go but not over $500 worth !!! Has this happened to anyone else ? What did you do ?

I applied and it was on my booking the very next day. Super quick. However, when I sailed it was not applied to my account. In fact they have charged me over 500 euros for things that I did not spend after the cruise ended and I had left the ship.

Thats one I wouldnt do on a small ship lol. I have only ever been seasick on older vessels. The newer bigger ships don't bother me at all. But on a bigger ship the queues bother me ! So each has their benefits and drawbacks. I take a tablet called "Avomine" which I get sent from England. They are brilliant. The doctor I spoke to on the ship advised one of the "wristbands" for seasickness and he said they worked. I personally haven't tried them. We sailed in the Mediterranean on a Spain intensive cruise. The ports were fabulous and I did enjoy my cruise. Unfortunately, most of the entertainment is up the front of the ship which rocks around more so I was not able to go to a couple of the lectures, I missed a bingo and I missed a few shows because of the rough seas. Rougher than normal because I usually do not need medication in the med. We had a Club Continent suite on deck 8 in the middle of the ship so it wasnt the location that bothered me. I thought perhaps it could be because I wasnt sleeping well. I think if I was booking a bigger suite it would have to be aft. This is where the restaurants are located on all the ships I've sailed on, so I guess it is less affected by rough seas than the front of the ship. Enjoy your cruise, but beware cruising is very addictive 😉

I have just returned home after my first Azamara cruise. I actually was very excited to go on Azamara because the things I read impressed me and I thought we would be a good fit. We are usually quiet people and we absolutely loved parts of our cruise but didn't fit with other parts. Should we find a great deal on a port intensive cruise we will cruise again. The positives were the food was the best we have had on a cruise. We missed going out on the Azamazing Evening and the entertainment that was brought onboard was not as good as I expected it would be. They had "Flamenco Ballet", 8 women who danced very well but were very repetitive. White night was held indoors but still enjoyed. The ships cast were good and entertaining but I found the piano player a very mediocre entertainer. The band upstairs were very good and lively for those that want more volume and groove 🙂. Another upside was the length of time spent in port. No rush to see as much as you can in as little time as you can and race back. That we could take our time and park in close was a big plus. The downside for me was the size and age of the ship. We took a last minute upgrade to a suite. I checked on the spreadsheet and no one else seemed to have had an issue with the suite we were in but I could not sleep because of the creaking and groaning in the ceiling every night. We had maintenance look at it but eventually had to be moved to another suite. This one had a bath which I would struggle to get in an out of, fortunately we had payed for spa access so I showered in the spa area. We had very rough seas - on one night an 8 metre swell, consequently I was very sea sick even after medication.

I have never been on any cruise line that does not provide a hair dryer. They have been there on the three Costa cruises I have been on. As for alcohol it is not allowed to be brought onboard.

In my experience this has been the case