Beejay4016
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Posts posted by Beejay4016
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4 hours ago, Gwendy said:
On RTW cruise Sea Princess took part in at sea rescue, we were late getting into Curaçao. I witnessed one “gentleman” screaming at shore excursion staff how he was going to miss his privately booked excursion and what were they going to do about it. We talk about the younger generation as it’s all about me, seems it applies to some oldies as well.
Not surprising. I read yesterday in a news report that some people on the Ovation are complaining about missing a port or two as a result of the White Island disaster. As the reporter (who happens to be on board) commented, "At least we get to go home." People just never fail to surprise or, sadly, disappoint.
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We've opted for the drinks package. For less per day than any drink package we've bought on Celebrity or HAL we get our daily gratuities included - and on our 10 night cruise we only pay for nine. I considered it a real bargain.
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Prayers for those on board that they soon have some news of their families and loved ones, and prayers for those at home who are hearing of this terrible news through media outlets. After all the bushfires, and now it seems that most of those missing are Australians, it just seems that the country is crying. So, so sad.
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So incredibly sad. My heart goes out to the loved ones of those who were on the island, and those onboard ship who are waiting for news of friends and family. Just such an awful, awful thing to happen. On top of the terrible fires that just seem to go on and on down the Eastern seaboard, the tears will never end. And just before Christmas as well. So sad.
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7 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:
A shame, I have always had good weather when visiting WA, must be lucky.
We've had freakish weather this week. Last Sunday was about 38 degrees, and then it got cooler and cooler and cooler and wetter. Friday was very cold with incredibly strong winds and pelting rain, lots of hail in some suburbs. There was quite a bit of storm damage around the place. It happens every so often, though, so no need to call Greta and tell her about it. 😉
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Definitely skip the duty free if you have time and visit one of the large liquor outlets such as Dan Murphy's, Cheap Liquor, or BWS. The prices are usually better than at duty free stores and the range is much larger.
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I definitely second the suggestion of catching the ferry from Perth rather than Fremantle as the trip down the river from Perth to Fremantle is lovely.
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The weather here on Friday was absolutely horrendous. Not a good day to be visiting port. I'm sure they were glad to depart.
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Wow, if Christmas wasn't already organised for us, I would be sooo tempted by that one. We've done two NZ cruises, one on the Noordam and one on Celebrity Solstice. Solstice is lovely, but HAL does offer better service, and we just prefer cruising with them. Love, love, love the piano bar on Noordam.
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2 hours ago, joybook said:
I must be more tolerant or patient than others as it always seems to be someone else who has the bad experience.
It was just the transit experience, Joybook. I see you're in Sydney, so I don't imagine you get to have that transiting pleasure. As I say, Brisbane and Melbourne do it so well. Perhaps when the new airport is built all will be perfect. 🙂
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12 hours ago, Catlover54 said:
Beejay, based on your description, I am glad we will not be connecting through Sydney ( at least not this trip), just flying in, and out.
I am equally embarrassed about so many U.S. airports ( though fortunately not by my local San Francisco airport) , especially the many surly airport and TSA personnel.
But at least you got to sit ( unlike in St. Martin at Christmas, when people were on the floors or standing for hours due to flight delays and lack of chairs).
First world problems, I know, but it is good to know what one is getting into.
My fantasy for long-haul trips is to be put to sleep and then just wake up ensconced in soft pillows in the arrival port hotel destination 🙂
Hi fellow cat lover.
Yes, I was shocked by Sydney's transit area. I have to say, the main airport area is fine, with plenty of places to sit, eat, drink, and, of course, shop. I guess that's why we were so shocked. I'm glad you're not transiting through there, so you should have a good experience. What you mention about St Martin's airport is staggering. As you say, in first world countries we expect so much.
Yes, a good sleep on a long-haul flight is a great way to go. The most comfortable lie-flat, and consequent sleep, we've ever enjoyed on a long-haul was Perth to Paris in Air Asia X's "business" class (sadly, they no longer do that flight). The food was - well, it was there, the service left much to be desired, the cabin was a tad hot, but the bed and bedding were superb. I think we got at least 8 hours solid sleep, and hit the ground running when we got to Paris. Air Mauritius was also excellent that way, but Air France was simply a comfy seat that reclined to an extent. The food with them was wonderful, though. Swings and roundabouts. Sadly, I think our days of flying business may be behind us now and premium economy may be the best we can hope for.
Anyway, I ramble. Have a lovely time, and enjoy Sydney airport. The views flying in and out are fantastic.
Cheers,
Beejay
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We had to transit through Sydney when flying Queenstown, NZ to Perth in June. It would have to be the most shambolic, dirtiest transit area for people changing from international to domestic that I've ever seen. People from various countries had to collect their luggage, walk a long way to the transit area, which was shabby in the extreme, then slowly snake their way, pulling and pushing their luggage and trying to keep a hold of their kids etc, to the few staff who were on duty. After checking in, it was then a case of go sit in the most basic of rooms (could never be described as a lounge) and wait, with no order regarding priority or flight time, for buses to then take you to the domestic terminal. The buses would then be heavily overloaded and certainly not a pleasant place even for a short drive with some of the enormous amounts of carry-on that some people have with them. I think the Sydney airport people need to check out Brisbane, for instance, to see how good it can be. We love Sydney, but were disgusted by the whole arrangement, and felt quite embarrassed that so many overseas visits have to go through that.
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On 9/11/2019 at 9:46 AM, sailco said:
Your ship will dock at Fremantle which is a about 30 mins by either car or train to the city of Perth.
You obviously have plenty of time so I'd suggest a look around Fremantle before hopping aboard the ferry to Perth. Fremantle is mostly walkable if you can leave your luggage at the pier somewhere. There's an old convict gaol and trendy cafe society. The cruise up the Swan River takes about an hour and has a guided commentary. It's a wonderful and leisurely way to reach the waterfront area of Perth where there are cafes and restaurants to while away the hours before you have to head to the airport.
if you're happy to handle your own luggage you can catch the CAT buses to the airport. You can pick up a map at the waterfront or just check the signs at the bus stop to see which coloured route you need. Within the city area the CATs are free but there's a small charge for the airport bus which you can pick up along Adelaide Terrace/ St Georges Terrace.
Top suggestions. I would suggest that once you leave the ferry at Barrack Street Jetty, a great place to have lunch and enjoy a view from Rottnest to the Hills is C-Restaurant, a revolving restaurant serving French/Australian fare. It's just a short walk straight up Barrack Street from the Jetty to St George's Terrace and to the left. The food really is excellent, and the views are fantastic. Whatever you do, whether it's C-restaurant, a HOHO bus, or a visit to Rottnest, enjoy.
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On 9/22/2019 at 2:38 PM, soak01 said:
Welcome to my home town.
If you are into wine, the Barossa trip will certainly be a great day out. If you want to check out some of the Adelaide local life here are are some other suggestions for the day.
Morning
Adelaide Central Market https://adelaidecentralmarket.com.au/
One of the largest undercover fresh produce markets in the Southern Hemisphere. Great food and coffee to look at and try.
City to Bay Tram https://adelaidemetro.com.au/routes/GLNELG
Catch the tram to the beachside suburb of Glenelg https://glenelgsa.com.au/
City to Tea Tree Plaza Shopping Centre/Interchange https://www.weekendnotes.com/o-bahn-busway/
Travel on the longest guided busway in the world where the buses reach up to 100kmh. City to TTP takes about 25min
Afternoon/Evening
Popeye https://thepopeye.com.au/
Take a ride on the River Torrens and take in the views of the City, Riverbank, University of Adelaide
Highly recommend that you checkout the views and have a drink or 2 from 2KW a restaturant/bar located on the corner of King William Street and North Terrace https://2kwbar.com.au/
Small Bar Scene
Check out some of the small bars on Peel and Leigh Streets. My favourites are Clever Little Tailor, Haines & Co, La Buvette
If you have any Adelaide questions at all please feel free to PM me.
Cheers
Stuart
Fantastic post, Stuart, so many thanks. We will be in Adelaide for a couple of days prior to a cruise, so I have copied out your post as a great guide to use for one of our days there. It's so long since I lived in Adelaide (I worked for the SAGR out of that lovely old railway station before it became a casino), and I lived in Glenelg, but your post gives us a whole itinerary. Cheers. 🙂
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On 8/28/2019 at 7:41 PM, MicCanberra said:
NASA astronaut Anne McClain, who spent 203 days in space aboard the International Space Station earlier this year, has been accused of identity theft and improperly accessing the private financial records of her estranged spouse, according to a report by The New York Times
I read that, and it occurred to me that they obviously don't have the NBN on the space station. I wonder who their IP is, and what deals they have. 😉
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We've only done a few cruises, but we love those little models that sit on our bookshelf. I'm so glad we bought the "Ryndam" when we did a Norwegian fjord cruise on her, and we really should make a point of sailing on her (and buying a model of her in her P&O livery) while she is still in Australia as the Aria, and then perhaps in her next incarnation - perhaps as a CMV vessel to join her old sister vessel, now the Vasco da Gama, a model of which we're looking forward to adding to our collection when we sail on her in a few months' time. Those models are like photographs in that they stir up such lovely memories.
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19 hours ago, kazu said:
FCD’s are good for 4 years. If it is not used by that time, it will automatically be refunded to you.
Many thanks for that, Kazu.
Cheers,
Bev
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We bought a future cruise deposit in 2017. Circumstances since have ruled out the possibility of another cruise within the foreseeable future. Can anybody advise on how I go about requesting a refund of my deposit?
Cheers,
Bev
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On 6/26/2019 at 8:48 AM, Sailaway John said:
Has anyone done the cruise from Fremantle to Sydney or reverse and visited the town of Hahndorf on an excursion?
The reason for asking is that both wife and I will be doing this cruise come March next year and was wondering on the ship tour how long do they give you to explore Hahndorf?
The rest of the tour sounds OK but time in Hahndorf is important to us . . . The tour name is "Hanhdorf with Scenic Views".
Thanks for any info and/or help.
Like Lyndarra, we did Hahndorf as a shore excursion last year. We were on a cruise on the Celebrity Solstice from Auckland to Fremantle - a fantastic cruise, if that's the one you're doing. Yes, it is a very pretty place, but it feels like a film set, really quite artificial. I'm glad we went, but, having lived in Germany for a few years, it just came across as a super-themed picture-book idea of what a German town should look like. It's pretty, it's tourism-central, and, as mentioned, rather expensive. I imagine the original settlers would have a real laugh if they could come back and see the place. If you get a chance, though, while you're there try to visit Beerenberg's premises (fabulous jams and pickles etc): https://www.beerenberg.com.au/59/Farm-shop
A nice little bonus on our excursion was stopping at Mount Lofty on the way back to the ship. Great views on a clear day.
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On 6/4/2019 at 7:32 PM, MicCanberra said:
LOL, we are doing the same Xmas escape except on the Spectrum of the Seas.
Could be the best way to spend Christmas, methinks - and hopefully with lots of lovely traditional fare.
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34 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:
I really liked the Pacific Aria (ex Ryndam) and the Maasdam.
We did the Norwegian Fjords on the Ryndam, and she was our favourite HAL vessel. It's just a beautifully sized and laid out ship. Would love to do one of those fabulous Maasdam cruises, but just too pricey at the moment. We are booked for the Christmas cruise on the Vasco de Gama and really looking forward to it - a blissful 10 nights out of Adelaide away from the whole "My family or your family this year?" saga.
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11 hours ago, icat2000 said:
If I was retired and had the $$$ I would be doing this cruise. 79 Day Grand Africa Voyage - Holland America Amsterdam October 3 to 21 December 2020
DATE DAY PORT ARRIVE DEPART Oct 3 Saturday Boston, Massachusetts, USA Embark 5:00 PM Oct 4 Sunday Newport, Rhode Island, USA 11:00 AM 8:00 PM Oct 5 Monday New York City, New York, USA 7:00 AM 4:45 PM Oct 8 Thursday Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA 7:00 AM 4:00 PM Oct 16 Friday Funchal, Madeira, Portugal 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Oct 17 Saturday Arrecife, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain 12 Noon 6:00 PM Oct 18 Sunday Agadir, Morocco 7:00 AM 1:00 PM Oct 19 Monday Casablanca, Morocco 7:00 AM 7:00 PM Oct 22 Thursday Tunis (La Goulette), Tunisia 7:00 AM 5:00 PM Oct 23 Friday Valletta, Malta 10:00 AM 6:00 PM Oct 26 Monday Transit Suez Canal-Cruise Only -- -- Oct 28 Wednesday Aqaba (for Petra), Jordan* 7:00 AM -- Oct 29 Thursday Aqaba (for Petra), Jordan -- 5:00 PM Nov 3 Tuesday Salalah, Oman 8:00 AM 6:00 PM Nov 5 Thursday Muscat, Oman 8:00 AM 6:00 PM Nov 9 Monday Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles 8:00 AM 6:00 PM Nov 12 Thursday Mombasa, Kenya* 8:00 AM -- Nov 13 Friday Mombasa, Kenya -- 5:00 PM Nov 14 Saturday Zanzibar, Tanzania 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Nov 16 Monday Mamoudzou, Mayotte, France 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Nov 17 Tuesday Andoany (Hell-Ville), Nosy-Be, Madagascar 7:00 AM 3:00 PM Nov 20 Friday Maputo, Mozambique 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Nov 21 Saturday Richards Bay, South Africa 8:00 AM 11:00 PM Nov 24 Tuesday Cape Town, South Africa* 8:00 AM -- Nov 25 Wednesday Cape Town, South Africa -- 11:00 PM Nov 27 Friday Luderitz, Namibia 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Nov 28 Saturday Walvis Bay, Namibia 10:00 AM 11:00 PM Dec 1 Tuesday Luanda, Angola 7:00 AM 5:00 PM Dec 5 Saturday Takoradi, Ghana 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Dec 6 Sunday Abidjan, Ivory Coast 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Dec 9 Wednesday Banjul, Gambia 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Dec 10 Thursday Dakar, Senegal 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Dec 12 Saturday Mindelo, São Vicente, Cape Verde 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Dec 18 Friday San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA 8:00 AM 11:00 PM Dec 21 Monday Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA 7:00 AM Disembark *overnight stay in this port 
Lotto kiosk, here I come. Wow!
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On 6/2/2019 at 3:42 PM, Big Kev said:
Re-posting below from CMV friends FB page.. CMV seasonally operated Astor from Fremantle, and soon to replace that with Vasco Da Gama.... It's a growing CMV fleet, and good to know that they are handling this problem very well... This is Hot Off The Press...
"Our cruise on Columbus to the Norwegian Fjords never made it to Norway! On leaving Amsterdam Thursday afternoon, the ship grounded and was delayed 8 hours for inspection by divers. All was deemed ok and we set off for Norway. Friday night as we neared Norway the captain announced (at 11.45pm!)there was a technical issue and we have to return to Holland for repairs, and the rest of the cruise to be cancelled. Now Sunday morning we are just arriving at a dock-yard in Ijmuiden and will stay 2 days here, then passengers to be returned to Uk by coach & ferry Tuesday morning (1 day early). We are all to get a full refund and a future free cruise!!! We were never in danger and now have 2 more days of free food and accommodation"!
What superb service. The test of a company is always how they handle problems, and it seems this has been handled superbly.
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8 hours ago, NSWP said:
Ancient then.
Vasco de Gama - Pacific Eden - HAL Statendam. Who cares if she's old; she was a lovely HAL ship.
White Island erupts.
in Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
Posted
Staggering, isn't it?