possum52

What are Tasmanians then?

The surcharge is not a card charge but to help pay the public holiday rates for staff.

Taxis in Singapore are plentiful and quite cheap. I would use taxis unless you prefer Uber in all three cities. We have used the train in Sydney, but it really depends where your hotel is in the Rocks area, as it is hilly. We stayed near Clark Quay in Singapore and it was easy to find taxis. We used the buses there too.

On our Nov 2018 cruise, we were fortunate I know but the weather gods favoured us for the whole cruise so we were lucky. I had checked all the weather websites prior to sailing and we actually were worried about the Tasman crossing from Melbourne but it was fine.

Whereas we were on the Golden in mid November 2018 and had perfect weather for the sounds. Cold to start with but warmed up and layers came off. Toss of a coin I think.

I basically said the same Cheryl.

Good luck for Thursday Mic. Hope you receive good news. Pity about the OBC.

Whenever we are in Sydney, we use taxis and have never had any of that happen. I have read and heard of dodgy Uber drivers too.

We found the Cairns Museum interesting. You can easily spend a couple of hours looking at and reading about the exhibits. The museum is in the middle of the city, easy walking. I also recommend a food tour to the Atherton Tableland. We did one through Brett's Outback Tours which we thoroughly enjoyed, It was a long day but well worth it. As for dining, try the Cairns RSL for a typical Australian pub style dinner. There are plenty of restaurants along the Esplanade and around the port area.

That's really just like a woman wearing a jacket or cardigan as I do quite often. Sometimes the DRs can be cool.

I can't remember what my husband wore on the Diamond, but on other Princess ships he has worn chinos and short sleeved shirts without a problem. He looks neat and tidy. Once on Voyager of the Seas, we weren't going to go to formal night as my husband forgot to pack his suit. Our waiter insisted what DH wore to the MDR each evening was fine to wear to formal night so that's what he did. We had an Englishman sitting at the table right next to us in a dinner suit, no-one cared what anyone else was wearing.

For visitors with ETAs, there is not a problem. The new health rule which came in from July 1st I believe is for other visas, not the ETA.

There is a problem with people even being able to do their banking at a bank branch. All the bank branches have closed in our suburb and neighbouring ones except for one CBA ten minutes away. The last time I was in a branch was a few years ago when I picked up a bank cheque for my new car. That branch has now also closed. I know that many post offices act as bank branches. My father who is 93 uses a card to pay for almost everything now although still occasionally uses cheques. Dad and Mum decided some years ago that they had to have cards to get by, that it wasn't always going to be easy to get cash.

No, the MCG and also Marvel Stadium have been cashless for some time. It actually started at Marvel prior to Covid. There are signs on all the food/drink outlets stating they don't take cash. It is also on their websites. You just have to be prepared these days. We have a couple of stores in our local shopping centre that only take cash which is quite frustrating as I rarely have cash on me. You don't need a credit card, just a debit/eftpos card that you can tap. My grandsons who are both teenagers have their own cards and are able to go to both stadiums and buy food and drink easily. My ten year old granddaughter easily pays with her father's card at the MCG.

Let me know what you are looking at, we can easily visit Port Campbell on one of our regular trips to Warrnambool. It is a small township, really what you would call a village with a permanent population of less than 500. It grows through summer.

I actually though she was too big to fit under the bridge so was checking that. Adventure fits by two metres evidently. She is the tallest ship to go under. I have only been under the bridge on the old Pacific Pearl and she didn't look as if she missed by much. 😀 Adventure has a mixture of White Bay and OPT arrivals/departures.

The Pacific Adventure sails from OPT on the cruise you have linked Geoff.

Usually the timing a ship is in Airlie Beach does not allow for passengers to use private tour companies to the reef. By the time the first tenders arrive at Airlie port, the private tours will have left for the reef. and they don't return until after the ship has sailed. The only way to do a reef tour from Airlie is by the ship excursion as passengers on these excursions are picked up and returned directly to the ship. As for stinger suits, you would need to contact the cruise line or even one of the local reef companies to check on sizing. This photo is similar to what the pontoons look like -

The two links below will help you obtain your ETA. The first link is an overall view of the ETA and the second will take you through eligibility and how to apply. There are video links on the first page that will help you with the application. The ETA app is available in your phone's app store in both iphone and android. ETA How to get your ETA

For Auckland, I would suggest catching the ferry across the harbour to the village of Devonport. Agree with all the Sydney recommendations.

We always carry a letter with a list of all medications prescribed by our doctors. We have never been asked to produce the medications although we always have them in our carry on luggage. This is a copy of the Incoming Passenger Card you will complete before going through customs and immigration. Incoming Passenger Card As you can see, you only have one box to tick. I have included the advice from the Australian Office of Drug Control for you to read. Just ensure all medication is in its original packaging, including over the counter. Information re bringing in medications - Bringing Medications into Australia

It doesn't really matter where you stay. There is a train from Perth to Fremantle. Early covid, before cruising was cancelled, we had a cruise booked from Perth/Fremantle and we had booked a hotel in Perth CBD (central business district). Check out both locations.

What do you mean by 'service charges'?

There are trees that will give you shade. Google Mystery Island images and you will see what there is.

The Little National and QT Sydney are both in the CBD (central business district and close to public transport. The Darling is not in the CBD but at Pyrmont which is the western side of Darling Harbour, so not as convenient as the other two hotels. I haven't stayed at any of them but have stayed at hotels close by to the Little National and QT.