SinbadThePorter

I'm always willing to give a new ship a go, which is why I'm on Pacific Encounter next month. Ships coming to Oz that I'd like to try are Celebrity Edge, Resilient Lady and Brilliance of the Seas. I don't know if I would like them, but I'd like to find out. But they only get one go, I don't come back for second opinions. There are too many ships in the sea for that. 😎

The ship designers underestimated the effect of the weight of the steel Skywalkers on the stern of the ship. It made the Grand go bow up into the waves, giving an uncomfortable ride. The Skywalkers on later ships was constructed of lighter materials like aluminium, which did not affect the trim of the ship.

There is a glass bottom boat.

Some years ago Holland America used to visit Sherrard Island up near Princess Charlotte Bay. I don't know how they did it because as far as I know it's always been part of the Marine Park. Nhulunbuy is a possibility as far as infrastructure goes. It has a deep water port and a sizable town. Which at the moment is a bit depressed since the refinery shut down. From there it is good access to eastern Arnhem Land. A few cruise ship visits would do wonders for the town. The Wessels are one of those places that you hear about, but are almost impossible to get to. They are a series of long narrow rocky islands stretching out nearly 200km from eastern Arnhem Land into the Arafura Sea. Never been there, will probably never get to go.

If this is a wish list and without regard to practicalities, I'd like Thursday Island, Weipa, Nhulunbuy and a close sail past of Hinchinbrook Island. 😁 Also some scenic cruising through the Wessel Islands.

Even if you can see land there are several dead spots along the east coast. Areas around Fraser Island, Shoalwater Bay and anywhere north of Cooktown, have no reception.

If the crew couldn't smoke, they'd probably mutiny! There were two guest smoking areas. A windswept one forward on the starboard upper deck and an area on the starboard promenade deck outside the Universe Lounge.

To put it more bluntly it was a cabal of corrupt developers who paid to have the Joh government in their back pocket.

Just got off Coral last Thursday. Still a wonderful ship. She does everything you want a cruise ship to do. My next favourite is Diamond, followed by the late Sun and Sea. I'd like to catch up with Sapphire one day. Ruby was good. Far better than Majestic which I did not like. The Royal Class ships may float on the sea, but you would hardly know it. Unless Princess start producing new ships that feel like cruise ships rather than hotels I won't be travelling on them.

You've won the port swap lottery. No disrespect to Newcastle, but Moreton Island does have it beat. It's about 20km east of the mouth of the Brisbane River. There are ferries from there back to Brisbane, but really you would not bother. As has been said, you are tendered to the wharf at the Tangalooma Resort on Moreton. It's slightly run down, but an excellent place from which to get tours and excursions across the island. These can be booked at the kiosk near the wharf. If the weather is good, try to get a 4WD excursion that takes in the lighthouse and the ocean beach. If you want something more relaxing, just walk along the endless beach either north or south from the resort. There is excellent snorkeling just to the north around the Wrecks. You can snorkel to them from the beach, but for me the channel is a bit wide and deep.

That's two no shows for me. Previous visit on Aria, we couldn't anchor due to high winds. I have a third go next month on Encounter.

That's where I was.

I have no worries with the ship's motion so I can go anywhere. The problem I have with the very forward cabins is the noise of the anchor. The problem I sometimes have with the aft cabins is vibration. For me quiet is much more important than steady.

SMS from Princess tonight: In view of recent state government announcement regarding mask wearing being no longer required in cruise terminals, please note mask wearing continues to be mandatory in line with the Eastern Seaboard Cruise Protocols. Please arrive to the terminal with a mask.

If you like cliffs and scenery can I suggest getting a ferry from Circular Quay in Sydney to Watsons Bay. The walks along the cliffs to South Head are spectacular and there is a rather good pub for lunch near the ferry. I haven't been to NZ often enough to offer worthwhile suggestions, but there is a fun TV show called "My Life is Murder", which is set in Auckland. It makes the city look very appealing. I think it is broadcast on Acorn in the US. NZ is a place that you go to despite the weather, not because of it. Even if it's cold wet and windy, it's still worth visiting. The bonus is that it is often sunny and warm. 😎

Always Fountain. 😍

We're boarding Coral in Sydney on the 26th Sept and returning to Brisbane on the 13th Oct. Flying to Sydney from Brisbane and then the first port of call is Brisbane. We'd prefer to travel light with carry-on only on the flight to Sydney. So the question is, is there any impediment to our getting off in Brisbane, going home, and coming back on board with our main luggage? I can't think that it would be an issue, but I thought I'd better check. 😎

Big and bland.

Would this be related to the MOD3 upgrade to the Eden Cruise Terminal? That would allow Oasis class ships into Eden.

It's worth remembering that Oz/NZ outlets are the same as Chinese outlets, just upside down.

That would be the 100% rate, $A13.49 is pretty much twice $A6.75. If I go back into the app, it shows the MedallionNet 1 device packages I have already bought and it gives me the option to upgrade these to 4 devices for $A6.75/day. Which is what you'd expect.

It looks to me like they are referring to Portside. The bit about restaurants is a give away. 😁 Disney probably researched Australian ports several years ago and hasn't updated since.

The first in early June. The second in mid-July. The other three, yesterday. All on the app. As far as I can tell, pre-cruise MedallionNet can only be purchased from the app or by phone. Not in the personaliser.

From the app I've pre-paid for internet on five different Coral cruises so far between June and October. They were all charged to my credit card at $6.75/day (i.e 50%) and none involved any credit back to the onboard account.

On the app the P/E price is $AU 6.75/day for one connection. Double that for four connections.