Justpackingmybags

Safe home now gents. Thank you for taking us all on your journey. I can’t wait for the next one!

Looks like I need to do some serious saving - I’m not good at economy flights these days 😂

I’ve never been to Hawaii. This bucket list is getting too long 😂

Following! I’ve got a land tour in Japan later this year & have already booked for Millie in 2026. Safe travels!

Lurpak was a rare treat when I was a kid! It’d be better if it was the real thing and not the spread though.

Following this thread is going to cost me serious money isn’t it? I want to take this cruise so much now. Time to up the savings for a couple of years - I’m not doing those long flights without some comfort! Absolutely loving the photos Jim; I’m a sucker for a good sunset.

Ohhhh! I’m enjoying living this cruise vicariously so much. Thank you for all the photos and observations Jim Sally

Stud Puffin T-shirt- love it 😆

I did a solo TA last year. Do it! I wasn’t on an X ship, but on Sky Princess heading to Fort Lauderdale for the winter. We had a very active pop choir on board that I joined and really enjoyed. I’m ok with my own company so I was as social or anti social as I wanted to be. The crew really looked after me and I felt really spoiled! it’s not easy making the decision to cruise following bereavement, but it’s worth investing in yourself. It gave me time to decompress after 2 weird years. Good luck.

If you’re fairly active, Reykjavik can be walked. Top of the town is the Hallgrimskirka, then it’s all downhill from there! Laugavegur is one of the main shopping streets & has a lot of restaurants on it. I stayed at the Alda Hotel; it was warm, clean and friendly and not far to walk to the nearest tour bus pickup point (number 9). I liked Harpa, the concert hall down by the sea front. when you book tours and activities, the pick ups are mostly at the tour bus stops. The drivers don’t wait too long either, so be there in plenty of time. I did the Golden Circle tour with the Secret Lagoon. It’s a long day! The tour took in the Kerid Crater, Gullfoss Falls, the Geyser,Secret Lagoon and the tectonic plates. It isn’t a cheap place to visit by any means. Just about everywhere will accept contactless card payments. You will be overwhelmed by the amount of instagrammers taking copious amounts of selfies everywhere in town.

Yes, La Rochelle is a bus ride away from the port area, but is a lovely town to spend time wandering around before finding one of many seafood restaurants to dine in. Bilbao is also a fantastic place to visit. We did a tour of the city including the Guggenheim we were there in April and the weather was fantastic. Other places to go to from the ship are San Sebastián- a total foodie paradise! And Guernica with its sad history. We docked in the seaside town of Getxo & that looked like a good place to mooch around if you don’t want to go further afield.

Loving the photos from Sydney!

I hope you enjoy it 🙂

Whenever I try to enter a UK debit card number the payment is rejected, but a credit card goes through immediately.

Have you ever come across Martin Walker’s Bruno books? A rural gendarme who somehow gets to be involved in anything from truffle fraud to international terrorism, all while cooking fantastic food. They’re lovely books.

I had one of these cabins on Sapphire when we went to Singapore. There was no furniture on the balcony but you were welcome to use it during daylight hours. Due to the front of the ship needing to be in darkness for navigation at night, it wasn’t possible to use it then. I’d imagine you’d also be ok out there in daylight. And it was a big balcony too!

I’m a relative newbie to CC, but I already smile when I see a new @Jim_Iain live thread! I’ll be following along from rainy Manchester. Have a fabulous trip! Sally

I just pulled the trigger today on a Millie cruise to Japan March 2026!!! I’m very with the price I’ve got it for, including the drinks/ wifi package plus prepaid gratuities. I’m doing a land tour to Japan this autumn and I already needed to book another fix 😆 I’ll be seeing places that I won’t be visiting this time. I’ll be booking flights and pre cruise accommodation independently. I’m a solo traveller, so I’ve made it all more affordable by booking an inside cabin - Millie looks like a small enough ship so I won’t have to walk far to find outside space. Thanks to all of you who have done ‘Live Froms’; you’ve made it a good choice for me sally

As another solo cruiser, I can recommend a longer cruise! My first big cruise since my husband passed was a TA last November. With there being lots of sea days, I joined the Princess Pop Choir & made some lovely friends doing that. I ate when I wanted, with or without company. You can always take a book with you to pretend you’re reading while people watching on days when you don’t feel like talking. It’s a different holiday, but still a good one. Good luck 🤞🏻

One visit to Singapore we stayed at the Park Royal Collection Marina Bay. It’s a 10 minute walk across the Helix Bridge to Marina Bay Sands & Gardens by the Bay. There is a shopping mall with a good food court under the hotel. I found it to be an excellent location

You could be tempting me into serious spending! Following

Following. I’m not on till June but I’m very curious to see how the ship’s settling in!

Following - I’ll be on board in June. Bon voyage!

Captain Tuvo is a hoot! He used to work for Princess, but has moved over to MSC. He is very customer focused and will be very visible.

Corinne left when we got to Fort Lauderdale at the end of the TA cruise. She’ll be on the Sun for her next contract.