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Boatharbour

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    374
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About Me

  • Location
    Sydney, Australia
  • Interests
    Travel, food, fishing, walking, beach
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Celebrity
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    The next one

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Cool Cruiser (2/15)

  1. We were very happy with the buffet on the Apex last July and disappointed with the four main restaurants. So much so that for the first time on a cruise we had several dinners at the buffet. The specialty dining especially Eden was superb.
  2. We’ve eaten at Tuscan Grill twice on S class but won’t repeat. The first time we had a table next to the wake view and this made up for lacklustre food and patchy service. The second occasion was booked especially for our wedding anniversary and was noted. We arrived to find our table for two was next to a very large, very loud group who seemed to monopolise the waitstaff. The service was very slow and indifferent, so much so that we decided to leave after the main course. We let the maître d know of our displeasure as we left. An hour later an anniversary cake was delivered to our door.
  3. The cafe has a small outside dining area which is a really nice place to sit in good weather. We loved our evening meal at the restaurant, so much so we booked again and then twice more on our upcoming Edge cruise. The elevated seating areas overlooking the wake were our favourite place to just sit quietly, read and relax.
  4. I think the Matt Moran restaurant that is nominated as one of the best in Sydney is Aria, not Crafted. The Good Food guide awards are probably the closest we have to Michelin which isn’t used here. The number of chefs hats awarded is equivalent to stars.
  5. Same here. We don’t sail until January 2025, first time with Princess and have been able to book the MDR for each night already.
  6. Of course there are no locals! I was quoting oft used justifications for tourism. Not sure of the reason for the comparison to the GBR but as you state Antarctica is pristine. I’d like to leave it that way.
  7. I realise there are rules but still ask myself what actual benefit is there to this fragile environment for groups of tourists to go on shore? They’re not contributing to the economy. They’re not providing jobs for the locals. Each to their own, but I choose not do it.
  8. Thank you for a frank and honest review. I’ve really enjoyed reading along. It reassures me that our decision not to sail with Celebrity to Antarctica was the right one for us. We’ve chosen another line which has four days cruising in Antarctica. Our Japan cruise on Millenium in late 2019 was one of the best cruises we’ve done. Great itinerary and not many sea days. We had a few days in Tokyo at the start and used mainly private tour companies for excursions. There were no tendered ports so no trouble getting off the ship.
  9. When we looked at even the cheapest expedition cabins they were at least double the price of a “cruise by” trip. For many people this is the deciding factor. I also have mixed feelings about tourists landing on this pristine environment. Can nowhere be left untouched by tourism?
  10. Thanks Ken. We are doing the Magdalena Island excursion as well so will see a variety of penguins and wildlife there. I must admit though that the sheer number of Kings at Volunteer Point must be amazing to see.
  11. I noticed there were some King penguins in Ken’s photos at Bluff Point and then wondered if we would need to travel all the way to Volunteer Point to see them. But from your photo it looks as though there are far more at Volunteer Point ?
  12. I have enjoyed following your trip so much. Thank you for taking the time to share. Could I ask if you know anyone onboard who took the Volunteer Point excursion instead of the Bluff Point one? I believe there are more king penguins at Volunteer Point but it involves at least two hours each way over rough terrain.
  13. Our cancellation email said Equinox was being redeployed to the Caribbean for “exciting 7 day itineraries”. It turned out to be a good thing for us as with a little more research we realised that only two days in Antarctica would be chancing it with the weather. With so many sea days we then booked a 17 day Princess cruise rather than the 22 day Holland America.
  14. January 2026? Was that a typo? Oops sorry it was January 2025 that was cancelled and it was on Equinox. We booked while on board the Apex in July last year. One month later we received an email stating the ship had been redeployed.
  15. It’s a pity that Celebrity only spends two days cruising in Antarctica. There’s little time to double back or vary the route for the weather Princess and Holland America spend four days in the region. Not to say you couldn’t end up with four foggy days, but at least your chances of seeing something clearly are doubled. We were booked on the January 2026 Eclipse sailing until Celebrity cancelled it. Now we’re sailing with Princess in January 2025.
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