mr walker

16 hours ago, NSWP said:

I am getting annoyed and cranky. First time I have done it, blocked, bye.

 

Think I have had enough of CC. I seem to be on a crusade.

Hang in there mate - many of us would miss you too much. I have blocked a few on here over the years, and also just let some posts just go thru to the keeper - life's too short.

Most of the posters and the information gained and shared make a few annoyances worth the price.

Take care mate - I look forward to "talking" with you on here and again in real life at some point. Cheers 

8 hours ago, Cbtours said:

Actually reading through some of the very funny comments etc on cruise critic over time, surely we could offer some very worthwhile comedians to the cruiselubez 😂😂😂😂

Plenty of comedians on here 😄

1 hour ago, Mareblu said:

How does everyone like their steak?

Medium well- no condiments 

Just a note to say that yesterday I retired from full time work, after 46 years. Original plan was to fully retire, but I’ve hedged my bets by going to a part- time consultant role with my employer. More free time & still some income maybe is a better option before relying on super.

anyway we look forward to a simpler life 😁

Tomorrow night is Rugby League State of Origin game #2 in Perth. GO THE BLUES!!

Here at home in Sydney we will have a small family get together to watch the game with ‘footy food’ - cocktail franks, pizza slices, and party pies & sausage rolls (4&20) & maybe a beer or two. It’s a family tradition - you can’t have footy without a pie 😁

11 hours ago, arxcards said:

Princess just calls it "operational considerations" which could mean whatever you want it to mean.

Ah, the old operational reasons - I can't even count how many flights I had cancelled/delayed/combined for just this "reason" 🙂 

On 6/21/2022 at 11:35 AM, NSWP said:

Good idea, checking his CC activity his last post was 26 April.  He was normally on here 3 or 4 times a week with his coffee and G &T.

Yes, I hope everything is OK with him - I miss his sense of humour. 

17 hours ago, Ozwoody said:

My main worry as stated earlier, without the cards on lanyards you wont be able to tell the newbies, when you see someone looking lost and confused, you won't know if its a blue card or and elite on a plus package.......🤣

17 hours ago, Jean C said:

... or one of Princess' more mature passengers, hehehe

on day 8 of a 10N cruise, a lovely 'mature age' lady asked me where some venue was. I said it's all the way at the front & 2 decks down. She asked me which direction is the front of the ship. I pointed her in the right direction, and watched her progress & she was headed in the right direction, and I hoped she got to where she was going.

19 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Our beloved cat, Niki, passed away peacefully earlier this evening. He will be missed.😪😪😪

Sorry to hear that Julie. Losing pets is always a sad time.

On 6/11/2022 at 9:53 AM, NSWP said:

I have had cats, dogs and birds, no more.

Similar for us Les.

Whilst having pets is a source of joy, the sadness of losing them is terrible. When we lost our inherited sulphur-crested cockatoo ( hand reared from a hatchling by Tracey's Dad & passed at almost 50 years) we decided no more pets - just so much distress.

Also, no pets allows a lot more freedom for us to travel.

1 hour ago, NSWP said:

Not good news, so many more no doubt. I would have thought the media would have been onto this.

Cruiselines are spending up big on media advertising and freebies, so no real surprise on the media position at this time.

If the tide was to turn, the media would quickly adjust their position.

25 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

In my experience young people are happy to pay tolls or those who can charge tolls to their work.  Other people like me think the provision of infrastructure and toll free roads are a Government responsibility. 

I can’t recall meeting anyone happy to pay tolls, young or old. Not sure what age has to do with it.  We all make choices about discretionary expenditure. The idea that governments can provide everything for all at no cost for the user is not realistic.

3 minutes ago, Porky55 said:

This is all well and good for us mature thinkers, but p&o is targeted at the young with young families, don’t know about you but it’s pretty hard to say no to the current generation of littlees. 🙇🏻‍♀️

Our parents could say no to us, and in turn we could also say no to our kids … can’t see why that needs to change. That said, we may be softies towards our grandkids if we had any 😄

18 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Maybe there is a market they are not attracting because of their charge for everything policies.

People like all inclusive prices.  

Our family stopped staying at island and mountain resorts when they changed from being all inclusive.  We found we joined in activities when they were included, but didn't when it cost extra.  human nature?

Depends on the individual human I expect. I am very much a believer in User Pays.

I'd prefer that the cruisefare/resort cost covered the minimum (room + a certain level of food/drink etc) and then you could choose what you paid for via your personnel preference.

I always find it strange when people complain about paying road tolls, when it is a choice to use the road or not. Go the long way, stop at all the lights and use more petrol - it's up to you.

7 hours ago, NSWP said:

Glad you enjoyed it.  I am going there Sunday night with my daughter and two grandkids from Moruya. 2 June was my 50th wedding anniversary so a little celebration. I had a solo dinner last night at Ewe and Me, Thunderbird Motel, Yass. Retro motel, but food spot on. Been there before.

Hope you had a good trip mate - a bit chilly?? 😁 

Tracey & I are off to Central Coast next week to visit Tracey’s sister. Pies definitely on the menu up there

enjoy you dinner at Raymond’s !!

2 hours ago, possum52 said:

Last Sunday we had been out watching grandson play football and Rob was feeling unwell later in the day, cold symptoms. As he had a medical appointment Monday morning, thought he should test - he was positive. I started to feel unwell a few days later and tested positive last night. I am feeling quite fatigued and have a very sore throat. Yesterday had a shocking headache, but not today. 

Stay safe & we trust you both have a rapid recovery.

4 hours ago, NSWP said:

Good afternoon my friends, well I have been AWOL on here for two weeks, been on a downer, all these events hit me, mothers day, wife's 2nd anniversary of passing, wife's birthday, 50th wedding anniversary, so been munching on Prozacs.

 

Anyway, getting better and my family have pushed me back into cruising, I was not going to do anymore, so finally I got some some domestic cruise travel insurance from 1Cover at a decent price, $238.20, disclosed my conditions with a supporting letter from my GP.

 

So Uncle Les has deposited a mighty $99 deposit on HAL's Westerdam, 23 November 2022, 'South Australia Discovery Cruise, 13 days, Sydney - Eden - Port Arthur - Hobart (overnight) - Adelaide (overnight) - Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island - Melbourne - Phillip Island - Sydney.   Lashed out on a Balcony Cabin and HAL is fairly decent, not doubling the twin share price for a solo occupant. I reckon the loading is about  50% for sole occupancy. They also gave me US$200 obc, buys a few vinos. #My daily rate for cruise is AU$355, bit pricey yes, but that's life travelling solo.

 

I have only done 1 HAL cruise prior - on Noordam, sister ship of Westerdam, to Honolulu mid 2019, I liked HAL and the Vista Class ship.

 

So that is the news folks.😀

 

 

 

I join with others expressing our support. We too were a bit concerned that you hadn't been around here lately, so it's good to get an update mate. Yes a lot of memories there all in close timing. 

Glad you have decided to take another cruise - it sounds like a good one.

Keep in touch. I gave notice last week that I will retire on 1-July, so time will be freer for us, and I hope we can catch up with you again soon.

Take care. After all Dan Murpy's needs your business 🙂 And there's a lot of pies, big breakfasts & steaks to eat, as well as some good Chinese from Raymonds!!!!

We are all here to support you. Please keep in touch thru CC.

Cheers

22 hours ago, GUT2407 said:

Mrs Gut must love me (silly girl) chicken and Camembert pies for lunch.

Someones getting spoilt!

On 5/15/2022 at 10:50 AM, MMDown Under said:

What a great photo of a special birthday.  I didn't know the red carpet treatment was real.  

Mums first cruise & we kept it a secret all the way to the OPT. Grahams carpet made her feel extra special. 
She’s 87 now & still going well

photo of Mum on Grahams special red carpet back in 2015.

I visited Christchurch a number of times on business trips before and post quakes. I found it a beautiful city to visit and it was so sad the see the destruction. I cried watching it on TV.

I have never been to England but imagine that many cities there would look very much like Christchurch.

We visited on a cruise in 2013, which was a sad time for me & my fellow travelers who had never got to see the city in all it's glory.

We visited again in 2019 on a land-tour and was glad to see it some what renewed.

Almost every Kiwi I have ever met had some family connection to Christchurch - certainly worth a visit.

On 5/8/2022 at 6:45 PM, MicCanberra said:

We use various methods, depending  on whichever way we find best, horses for courses

that's us also.

At first we used TA's as we didn't know too much about it, but as we learned more, including on here with the good folk on cc, we moved to booking direct also.

If we know the cruise we want to do we just book online with the cruise-line. If the trip involves OS flights and hotels etc in addition to the cruise we will likely use a TA.

We have also used a TA when there is a package deal advertised, which likely saved us a few $'s?

We have also done a number of charter cruises that can only be booked thru TA.

We would be less likely to use a TA now, based on many anecdotal stories heard/read over the past 2 years.

As Mic says, horses for courses.

On 5/7/2022 at 5:00 AM, onlyslightlymad said:

Most cruise ships expected to dock in Lyttelton rather than Akaroa this year when they arrive in Canterbury.  I'd imagine the Akaroa locals are pretty happy about that, they were a bit cross about the influx of passengers when I was last there.   

We did the most wonderful tour with Pohatu Penguins there in 2019. They do penguin rescue work & profits from the tours are used to fund their work. They seemed pretty happy to have us there.

On 5/8/2022 at 5:04 AM, MMDown Under said:

Happy Birthday.  Love the cake.  Was it fresh cream?

Not sure. It was 'store bought' (Cheesecake Shop)  & was described as Italian Custard. Everyone loved it, so that the main thing 🙂

44 minutes ago, Patois said:

 

Duplicate post