LIVE- The World's Longest Trip Report (Luminosa 4/13 - 5/4)

[EngIceDave]

AND THEN SOME....

 

Tomorrow wifey-poo and I set out on a round the world excursion....just worked out that way

We are setting out to Australia to cruise back to the USA and Seattle. My BIL happens to live in Perth, AUS and we've never been down there to visit, so why not take advantage of a great $100pp Balcony cabin w/DOU all over and freeplay, visit Perth and hop a ship home?

 

That's what we're doing

 

Orlando is our home airport and we can fly to Perth with one stop in Dubai. MCO>DXB>PERTH

Long layover, 7.5 hours, departing at Dubai 2am. I have lounge access thanks to Priority Pass (recommend if you travel a lot). I have been to Dubai, so we'll be able to do some insane wildly priced window shopping and check out the 1Kg .999 gold bricks you can buy as well as the gold vending machines. Last time I was there I did buy wifey-poo a 1oz .999 ingot. Cool thing to just have.

 

Have an Airbnb in Perth for a week right by Kings Park.

Then we fly to Brisbane for a night and board Luminosa the next morning. 12:00 check in. Apparently earliest was 11:30

 

Some things many of us have learned and Carnival was little help on or even seemed to have knowledge of.....you need a Australian visa, just to fly in and sail out. Mo notice or warning. 

If flying through NZ, you need a transfer visa there as well, just to fly to AUS. Many are having trouble printing their boarding passes and are being instructed (if you can believe it) just fly down any way and we'll sort it out....I'd be freaking out. Lot of confusion between Carnival US and Carnival AUS. For months we have not been able to book anything for the spa, just blank, but shows the "pre-purchase discount."

 

 

Funny story on how we got on this cruise. We were going to do the fall reposition back to Brisbane....Be Seattle through Alaska, Japan and on to AUS. Had it all booked. Then the great news that grandchild V2.0 was happening. "Congratulations! When ya due?" In the fall she replies....Uh boy......I knew there was no way I was dragging grandma away from a fresh grandbaby for a month. So we switched to the same ship going the other direction on 60 days notice. Actually got a better deal.

 

So our round the world in a month (starting 24 hours from this moment...it's check in time) will go like this, completely circumnavigating the globe going East to West

MCO>DXB>PER>BNE>PPT>SUV>HNL>SEA>MCO

That's....Orlando>Dubai>Perth>Brisbane>Tahiti>Fiji>Honolulu>Seattle>Orlando

 

Leave late tomorrow to fly out. I encourage everyone on this cruise to add their .02 

 

This is my navigational map for the cabin door.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 2, 2023 by EngIceDave
I'm dumb

[EngIceDave]

A past live report from February on Celebration.

Give you an idea of how bad I am at this

 

 

[LUVMYGSDOG]

Wow can’t wait for this one!  Following along!!

 

 

Kim

[IntrepidFromDC]

Wow Engine Ice Dude!  Fantastic, thanks for doing a live and I am excited to follow along!

[mkcurran]

Here for the epic trip.

[SenatorsFan]

Looking forward to this. 😁

[LatinaInTexas]

Wow this I have to follow since I can only dream of a trip like this!

[EngIceDave]

Many questions come to mind when putting all of this together.

 

How much clothes do you pack? I need a Visa? Is an Australian dollar the same as a Canadian dollar? Same people are on it and in the same pretty colors, why not? Will the ship have American Pepsi or Australian Pepsi and is there any difference? What exactly is "Australian Food?" Do the toilets really flush the other direction? What about when on the ship?

 

These are important issues.....

 

 

 

 

[EngIceDave]

BTW, keep in mind, due to all the time differences, never know what time I'll post.

 

They're now telling us who bought wifi that it may not work all the time, so they're refunding it and you will need to check day to day to see if it works.

 

Speculation is that it's the giant gap between Hawaii and Seattle and maybe some between the So Pacific islands and Hawaii....So....guess Elon's thingymabobbers aren't on the Luminosa

[EngIceDave]

Morning.....it's FLY DAY

 

 

 

Unfortunately we have a late flight (for us) and we have to be at the airport FOUR HOURS early....Emirates Airlines rule.

Good thing is we'll get to use and explore the brand new high tech C Terminal at MCO.

Booked an Uber in advance (You can do that) and it'll be about $140 ride. Looked into a car service and be over $500 R/T...I can park my own car for $570....silliness.

 

On the cruise FB page, I saw this morning we may be sailing into or on the edge of a solar eclipse on the 20th

 

 

"Sometimes you leave your house to go on vacation. And you gotta take some of your stuff with you. Gotta take about two big suitcases full of stuff, when you go on vacation. You gotta take a smaller version of your house. It's the second version of your stuff. And you're gonna fly all the way to Honolulu. Gonna go across the continent, across half an ocean to Honolulu. You get down to the hotel room in Honolulu and you open up your suitcase and you put away all your stuff. "Here's a place here, put a little bit of stuff there, put some stuff here, put some stuff- you put your stuff there, I'll put some stuff- here's another place for stuff, look at this, I'll put some stuff here." And even though you're far away from home, you start to get used to it, you start to feel okay, because after all, you do have some of your stuff with you"

~ George Carlin

 

 

 

 

[pe4all]

Can't wait for your live review.  This has been a bucket-list trip we have been putting off.  Got a great casino deal also - free suite or balcony, drinks all over, casino cash, obc.  Just can't find the time to do it.  Living vicariously through you....

[maxandmolly]

Can’t wait to follow along!

[Cruising_Addict]

Have a safe flight! Can’t wait to read the rest.

[TrqoisWtrs]

17 hours ago, EngIceDave said:

They're now telling us who bought wifi that it may not work all the time,

When I took Splendor to Singapore, wifi pretty much disappeared for the 7 sea days Hawaii to Guam, and slowly got better.  But I survived lol.

 

Yes, classic George Carlin, love it.

 

Looking forward to this review for sure - I'll be on the cruise you were originally doing - Seattle to Brisbane in Sept, so can't wait to hear about the ship.  Have fun - what an amazing trip!

[EngIceDave]

Took an hour and a half to check in at the airport after checking in online. Crazy. 
 

Terminal C is pretty. The video is their immersive experience. 
 

pretty cool they have weight stations all over to help weight and balance out your bags. 
 

Thanks to our driver Brian

[EngIceDave]

14 hour flight kids. Filling up on some Shake Shack before boarding. 
 

$4 coke. Must be special Coke. 

[irie0518]

Myself and my friend Helen are also on this cruise with you too.  We are getting very excited.  We are going RDU to SFO on Tuesday over nighting there to break up the flight.  Wednesday we fly SFO to SYD.  Spending 3 nights in Sydney and then taking the train to Brisbane on the 10th and have 3 nights pre cruise in Brisbane.  Glad we only have to fly one way, that long flight is the only thing I am not looking forward to.  Safe travels maybe see you on board!

[lazydayz]

Wow, safe travels and have a wonderful trip and cruise. 

[EngIceDave]

Random stuff of the new Terminal C
 

Seats have mag chargers. 
 

That’s our plane. 

[Oakman58]

I'll be following along with your live trip report.  I'm doing a similar cruise on the Luminosa only in the opposite direction, Seattle to Sydney.

[EngIceDave]

Still flyin 

[EngIceDave]

Still flying. Same flight. 

interesting thing is these gentlemen are part of a large group/family of Orthodox Jews and they have stood overseeing everyone the old time. 

Funny watching the FA’s trying to sort everyone’s kosher meals. 
 

-3 hours left on flight one. 
 

Emirates is nice. Good recline in economy, but narrow and a bit hard seats. Toilets are really nice. Lot of space to change into something comfortable. Not only hand lotion, but even some cologne. 
 

 

[EngIceDave]

Prayer time. 
interesting watching all this. 

[kdr69]

On 4/1/2023 at 9:33 PM, EngIceDave said:

Same people are on it and in the same pretty colors, why not?

😆😆

[EngIceDave]

Welcome to Doobee.