Now for something completely different

[Aussieflyer]

5 hours ago, Bubbeh said:

Sometimes when I notice that someone hasn't interacted for a while with either a post or a reaction, I wonder if they're OK.  Maybe others also notice when 'regulars' have gone missing.  With that in mind and not because I think that my posts are eagerly awaited or anything, I'm just letting you know that you won't be hearing from me for a while after today.  At stupid time tomorrow morning (2:30am) we leave for the airport to fly to Bali for a month.  We usually spend June in Bali as after a day or two of winter, I've had enough.  In Bali we go techno free (no phones and only very limited use of the 'net) so I won't be online much if at all until early July.

 

BTW, this is not a fishing expedition for farewell wishes, just to bring you into the loop.

And bon voyage from moi. Enjoy the warmth.

[Mareblu]

Enjoy your tropical holiday, and the peaceful break from the tech ties that often bind us too much.

[Blackduck59]

Well it is starting to feel real now, even if we are still months away. We booked our flights yesterday. Air Canada had a very reasonable price on a direct flight Vancouver to Sydney in business class. Although we feel that the Qantas seat configuration seems better, it was a no brainer. The Air Canada fare was almost exactly half the price, that was a savings of over $9,000.00 CDN. Oh well no Qantas pajamas for us.

The Australian itinerary is set and we will be looking at things to do in those places where we are not meeting up with our CC friends.

As far as the cruise goes the excursions offered seem uninspired and over priced. It's funny that for the first time in the 4 years since I started this thread it really feels like we are going to make the trip this time. So we will be looking for things to do in each port.

I recall that Rotorua is a favoured thing to do, but there seems to be several different groups charging different prices etc. The question is which place to visit and should we just rent a car and drive there or find a small group tour. Of course there will be many who want to go to Hobiton but that's not us. So if anyone has good intel on where to go and what to see in Rotorua all while  fitting into the confines of a port stop in Tauranga.

[cruiser3775]

10 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

So we will be looking for things to do in each port.

Ask your questions on Trip Advisor's New Zealand forum. It's very active and helpful.

[Mareblu]

47 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

Well it is starting to feel real now, even if we are still months away. We booked our flights yesterday. Air Canada had a very reasonable price on a direct flight Vancouver to Sydney in business class. Although we feel that the Qantas seat configuration seems better, it was a no brainer. The Air Canada fare was almost exactly half the price, that was a savings of over $9,000.00 CDN. Oh well no Qantas pajamas for us.

The Australian itinerary is set and we will be looking at things to do in those places where we are not meeting up with our CC friends.

As far as the cruise goes the excursions offered seem uninspired and over priced. It's funny that for the first time in the 4 years since I started this thread it really feels like we are going to make the trip this time. So we will be looking for things to do in each port.

I recall that Rotorua is a favoured thing to do, but there seems to be several different groups charging different prices etc. The question is which place to visit and should we just rent a car and drive there or find a small group tour. Of course there will be many who want to go to Hobiton but that's not us. So if anyone has good intel on where to go and what to see in Rotorua all while  fitting into the confines of a port stop in Tauranga.

More than a no-brainer, Lyle.  At that price difference, you'd have to be cerebrally challenged to pay the fare Qantas demands.  The pjs are good though, they last for years.  We only did BC with Qantas once, but wore the pjs for many winters.  We're so looking forward to meeting you and Lynn "off the page".  Good luck with your NZ investigations.

[lyndarra]

5 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

Well it is starting to feel real now, even if we are still months away. We booked our flights yesterday. Air Canada had a very reasonable price on a direct flight Vancouver to Sydney in business class. Although we feel that the Qantas seat configuration seems better, it was a no brainer. The Air Canada fare was almost exactly half the price, that was a savings of over $9,000.00 CDN. Oh well no Qantas pajamas for us.

The Australian itinerary is set and we will be looking at things to do in those places where we are not meeting up with our CC friends.

As far as the cruise goes the excursions offered seem uninspired and over priced. It's funny that for the first time in the 4 years since I started this thread it really feels like we are going to make the trip this time. So we will be looking for things to do in each port.

I recall that Rotorua is a favoured thing to do, but there seems to be several different groups charging different prices etc. The question is which place to visit and should we just rent a car and drive there or find a small group tour. Of course there will be many who want to go to Hobiton but that's not us. So if anyone has good intel on where to go and what to see in Rotorua all while  fitting into the confines of a port stop in Tauranga.

Check this one out Lyle.

https://www.viator.com/en-AU/tours/Rotorua/Rotorua-including-Te-Puia-Tour-from-Auckland-in-Small-Groups/d395-56760P9

 

Tony and I, and the couple who went to Alaska with us, did this tour. Can highly recommend it.

 

[arxcards]

I have enjoyed watching this clip this morning. A bit nostalgic, but also funny to imagine being applied to today's cruising.

 

 

Edited Friday at 12:36 AM by arxcards

[Mareblu]

Thank you for posting this nostalgic charmer.  Crepes Suzette and Cherries Jubilee are still offered on Cunard’s vessels.  

[arxcards]

3 hours ago, Mareblu said:

Thank you for posting this nostalgic charmer.  Crepes Suzette and Cherries Jubilee are still offered on Cunard’s vessels.  

I had the cherries on QM2 some years back. I had Crepes Suzette for the first time on Princess 18 months or so back.

 

After all those years waiting, I was rather disappointed at how boring the crepes were. 

Edited Friday at 06:16 AM by arxcards

[Relaxing Robbies]

3 hours ago, Mareblu said:

Thank you for posting this nostalgic charmer.  Crepes Suzette and Cherries Jubilee are still offered on Cunard’s vessels.  

Cherries Jubilee on Coral Princess post covid.  The serving was 2 cherries. My jaw hit the floor when I saw it.

[Mareblu]

16 minutes ago, arxcards said:

I had the cherries on QM2 some years back. I had Crepes Suzette for the first time on Princess 18 months or so back.

 

After all those years waiting, I was rather disappointed at how boring the crepes were. 

They were delicate and exquisite in QG 2weeks ago on QA.

[Mareblu]

5 minutes ago, Relaxing Robbies said:

Cherries Jubilee on Coral Princess post covid.  The serving was 2 cherries. My jaw hit the floor when I saw it.

Two whole cherries!  Wow!

[arxcards]

1 hour ago, Mareblu said:

They were delicate and exquisite in QG 2weeks ago on QA.

Crepes were nice enough, so I guess Suzette isn't exactly to my taste.

[arxcards]

1 hour ago, Relaxing Robbies said:

Cherries Jubilee on Coral Princess post covid.  The serving was 2 cherries. My jaw hit the floor when I saw it.

You get more cherries 🍒  at Good Spirits, but I guess it is twice as good as Cherry Jubilee. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

17 hours ago, arxcards said:

I had the cherries on QM2 some years back. I had Crepes Suzette for the first time on Princess 18 months or so back.

 

After all those years waiting, I was rather disappointed at how boring the crepes were. 

The Crepes Suzette we had on Cunard in January were delicious but Princess seems to think that a small reheated crepe served in a nondescript sauce is Crepes Suzette. Not!

[OzKiwiJJ]

16 hours ago, Relaxing Robbies said:

Cherries Jubilee on Coral Princess post covid.  The serving was 2 cherries. My jaw hit the floor when I saw it.

They're serving more than that on Coral now. I had a big bowlful the other night - almost too many cherries. I always ask for the chocolate ice cream which I think goes better with cherries than vanilla. Mind you we have excellent waiter teams at the moment. We're very spoilt. 

[Blackduck59]

Well we continue to plan our adventure. @Jean C I notice you are in New Zealand, are you anywhere near any of the ports we are visiting, it would be nice to meet for coffee or lunch if you are interested. Lynn and I have decided that meeting people is often way more interesting than any "excursion" we may take. We are 3 days in Auckland before the cruise and have a number of port stops on the cruise.

[sailingkiwi]

Hi, this thread popped up when I was searching for anything related to cruising with T1 diabetes and if anyone had any tips I hadn’t thought of yet.

 

One thing to note if you are going to try and get insulin in Australia or NZ is that certain brands etc may not be available here.
 

I travel with refillable pens, meaning they take up a lot less room. I do also have low insulin needs, which also helps. 
 

Rotorua is a great place to visit, if you are interested in geothermal activity and learning about Māori reo (language) and tikanga (customs). If you are confident to drive in NZ I would definitely look at hiring a car. Otherwise I’m sure there are locally based tours you can do.

 

I am from Wellington, not sure if your cruising is visiting us, but let me know if you want any suggestions. 

 

 

[Blackduck59]

31 minutes ago, sailingkiwi said:

Hi, this thread popped up when I was searching for anything related to cruising with T1 diabetes and if anyone had any tips I hadn’t thought of yet.

 

One thing to note if you are going to try and get insulin in Australia or NZ is that certain brands etc may not be available here.
 

I travel with refillable pens, meaning they take up a lot less room. I do also have low insulin needs, which also helps. 
 

Rotorua is a great place to visit, if you are interested in geothermal activity and learning about Māori reo (language) and tikanga (customs). If you are confident to drive in NZ I would definitely look at hiring a car. Otherwise I’m sure there are locally based tours you can do.

 

I am from Wellington, not sure if your cruising is visiting us, but let me know if you want any suggestions. 

 

 

Thanks for your suggestions about the insulin. We are taking enough insulin with us from here. We have travel coolers designed for traveling with insulin.

We do have a stop in Wellington, so far we have Te Papa on our itinerary. Apparently there is a free shuttle from the port. What would be a good place to have some lunch while we are in town?

[Aus Traveller]

25 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

Thanks for your suggestions about the insulin. We are taking enough insulin with us from here. We have travel coolers designed for traveling with insulin.

We do have a stop in Wellington, so far we have Te Papa on our itinerary. Apparently there is a free shuttle from the port. What would be a good place to have some lunch while we are in town?

Te Papa in Wellington is great. There is a free shuttle into the centre of the city, but it drops passengers a couple of kilometres from Te Papa. There used to be a drop-off point only a few hundred metres from Te Papa, but they didn't use that stop when we were there this year. There was only one stop this time. It is fairly close to Parliament House. You will need to have a map. Alternatively, walk out to the harbour from where the shuttle drops you off, and walk to the right. You will eventually get to Te Papa.🙂 

 

Another suggestion would be to go on the free tour of Parliament House. It is surprisingly interesting, particularly the part where they show visitors how they earthquake-proofed the enormous historic building. People I have suggested this to have also enjoyed the tour.

[sailingkiwi]

3 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

Thanks for your suggestions about the insulin. We are taking enough insulin with us from here. We have travel coolers designed for traveling with insulin.

We do have a stop in Wellington, so far we have Te Papa on our itinerary. Apparently there is a free shuttle from the port. What would be a good place to have some lunch while we are in town?

For lunch near Te Papa I would recommend Wharewaka (translated to boat house). It is on the lagoon near Te Papa. Some great local food. 

 

If it is nice you can sit outside. On Sunday there is a market close to Te Papa and there are a lot of food trucks. 
 

If you want to try some local craft beer Panhead is close to Te Papa. 
 

For more formal lunch along the waterfront Dockside is good. More casual is Rosie’s Cantina. Not far from the waterfront and more upmarket is Charlie Noble. These are all a 10-15 minute walk from Te Papa. 
 

While Wellington is very hilly, Wellington CBD is flat and very walkable (and small). Most of it is reclaimed land. If you walk along Lambton Quay you will see some signs on the footpath that identify where the shoreline used to be.

[Jean C]

4 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

Well we continue to plan our adventure. @Jean C I notice you are in New Zealand, are you anywhere near any of the ports we are visiting, it would be nice to meet for coffee or lunch if you are interested. Lynn and I have decided that meeting people is often way more interesting than any "excursion" we may take. We are 3 days in Auckland before the cruise and have a number of port stops on the cruise.

Hi, I would love to have met up but unfortunately I live in Northland, and not handy to your port stops. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time here and on your cruise, it sounds a fabulous trip.

 

As regards Te Papa, we walked there from the port, back when there was no free shuttle. We didn't take too much notice of how far it was as it was a pleasant walk along the harbour front. I can highly recommend Te Papa, it was far more interesting than I expected it to be, so worth a visit, and entry is free.

[OzKiwiJJ]

On 6/23/2024 at 2:13 PM, Jean C said:

Hi, I would love to have met up but unfortunately I live in Northland, and not handy to your port stops. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time here and on your cruise, it sounds a fabulous trip.

 

As regards Te Papa, we walked there from the port, back when there was no free shuttle. We didn't take too much notice of how far it was as it was a pleasant walk along the harbour front. I can highly recommend Te Papa, it was far more interesting than I expected it to be, so worth a visit, and entry is free.

Since they moved the cruise dock after an earthquake (it's now at the Hutt Rd end of the wharf) you aren't allowed to walk off.