OzKiwiJJ

I have a very convenient little paper map showing all the Tokyo lines which I also got on a previous trip there. It has the station names in English so I can study it ahead of time to work out where to go. Plus I had an offline version of Google Maps so could check where I needed to go. The fun bit is when you accidentally leave a station from a different exit than you though you were using. Luckily we only did that once and it was in Asakusa so I was easily able to work out where we were.

Shinjuku is a sod of a station but it's all clearly signposted. We ended up going there twice - once during the day to visit the National Gardens, the other that night with friends going out for dinner. My feet definitely don't like Shinjuki! 🤣 Getting to some platforms / lines at the linked Shimbashi / Shiodome stations was very confusing - we ended up going around in circles before discovering the line we wanted was actually at Shiodome, right next to our hotel.

I forgot my Suica card on for one outing last year so had to buy tickets. I'm sure you could choose the destination when buying the ticket so it charged the correct amount. Note: We had Suica cards from a previous trip to Japan so just had to add more value to them.

We did a bus tour from Tokyo so the visit to Nikko, trip up the mountain to the lake where we had lunch, then a visit to a lovely waterfall was all part of the itinerary.

I just had a look at the wave predictions. It looks promising for the Tasman crossing, Bass Strait, and probably the Great Australian Bight as well. However we might just catch the edge of 3 metre seas leaving Sydney Harbour but those are moving north so we'll be out of their influence quite quickly.

Fantastic!

If you're staying a few days in Tokyo do a day trip to Nikko that also includes going up to Chuzenji-ko, a beautiful lake set high in an old volcano. If there aren't any cherry blossoms left in Tokyo, you'll probably see them around the lake as they flower later there due to the altitude. And if you're lucky you might see some snow monkeys alongside the zigzag road.

And thank you for starting this thread off. I'll be adding to it regularly. 😊

I'm actually more concerned with reaching Fremantle on time than the actual crossing. We're meeting up with friends for lunch. We missed catching up with them last time we were in Fremantle as we were stuck in isolation as I had Covid.

It's going to be an interesting run across to Fremantle. We have 4 days 15.25 hours to get there by the scheduled arrival time, including getting in and out of the harbours. It's 2140 nautical miles between the two ports. If Coral sustains a steady 20 knots it will take 4 days 11 hours. We are crossing two of Australia's most notorious seas - Bass Strait and the Great Australian Bight. Hopefully the weather and sea gods will be kind to us but if not I've got a good supply of seasickness meds!

Coral isn't going to Brisbane. That port stop was cancelled. The NZ world cruisers embark in Auckland tomorrow, 26th April. Sat 27th April - Bay of Islands Sun 28th April - At Sea Mon 29th Apr - At Sea Tue 30th April - the rest of us, including the Brisbane contingent, embark in Sydney and off we go!

Taronga Zoo, Sydney.

The problem is that modern technology no longer counts internet by minutes. I much prefer being able to book a Plus fare with drinks and internet covered (even though the wines are rubbish). I don't have to worry about keeping track of the minutes I've used and even with needing to buy wines by the bottle to get a decent selection it still works out cheaper (just) than not having Plus.

But it was very slow. It was a challenge when you had to restrict yourself to 10-15 minutes a day on a long cruise.

I'd been checking a 2025 Princess cruise I wanted for a couple of months for a balcony cabin but nothing showed up online. Just on the off chance I rang my PVP, expecting to be put on a waitlist but she miraculously found me a cabin.A very nice cabin in fact. I'm very happy about that.

I'm fairly certain you're stuck with whatever the fare is when the cabin becomes available.

Birkenhead Point is in the opposite direction to the airport and is not easy to get to by public transport. You'd be better to store your bags at Circular Quay / Rocks (there are a few options available there) then use the light rail to go to the Queen Victoria Building stop which is closest to the main shops in Sydney. Then go back to Circular Quay, pick up your bags, and get the train to the airport.

Of course! Where pizza originated. That is the entrance to Da Michele, one of the oldest pizzeria in Naples, and ranked as one of the best in the world - it was indeed excellent. People queue for an hour or more to get in at peak times. The menu is very simple, just two choices, both very traditional.

It was amazing the first year Majestic came to Australia. Very authentic Chinese, with dishes from all around China not just Cantonese.

Not Pisa either. Head south.

Not Venice.

Not Rome but, yes, they are waiting for a table to have pizza.

Right country, wrong city. Not a sandwich.

They have great sales though, especially the warehouse sales.

Where is this and what are these people queuing up for?