JVes

So sorry to hear about the problems you've had. The Gold Coast is close to my heart - my Nan, my favourite family member - lived there. Best wishes to you all.

That's an excellent point. We'll be sure to do that!

I'm sorry, I wasn't clear. I'd be taking the train from Melbourne to Sydney, avoiding the luggage limit on the plane. However, thank you for all the advice on which stations in Sydney go to the cruise ports! And thank you for your experience, 2022 Cruisey.

Hi. I'm new to cruising, but I've had my first cruise (YAY!) and loved it (More YAY!). But due to medical issues (Booo) I have extra luggage to lug around with. A few years back, I travelled Melbourne-Brisbane by train. Luggage wasn't an issue, as long as you didn't bring too much into the cabin. So now I'm thinking - why not take a train to get to Sydney's cruise terminals? Does anyone have any experience with that? Any opinions? Words of wisdom?

They'll be there. They might take a bit of searching, because the main areas are specifically designed to be exciting and enticing. But go off the beaten path and you'll find introversion zones.

I get lost easily, so a door decoration is helpful. But rather than spending money on it, I found a mermaid picture to colour in. I colour in anyway, for mindfulness and getting in 'the zone'. Cabin decorations I think must depend on who you are. Are you comfortable with minimalist beige, or do you thrive among bright colours and textures? I perceive the articles as "things I need to consider". I literally made a list of all of those things, and Bestie and I chose the ones we thought would be useful. I understand the concern for first time cruisers, but I went on my first cruise last month so I'm the demographic you're concerned for. We did buy things we didn't end up using, but we only did a four day cruise. Living out of your suitcases is fine for four days.

What about a balcony for him and the inside cabin directly opposite for you?

😄If I do ....

I GOT UP OFF THE FLOOR BY MYSELF! First try. Hubby says that's the fourth time I've managed it since the cruise, and the first time I got up on my first attempt. And thank you, Slugsta. I need to get a charity or something to believe that cruises have medical benefits for me, so I should cruise twice a year. In a suite.

There are probably cheeses best served chilled, but the ones I like are either best served at room temperature. Plus, of course, there are those incredibly lovely ways to serve cheese hot: fondues, sauces, binders for the crusts of many dishes, important elements for lovely things like quiches. Give me a soft cheese like camembert and brie, and I'll let it rest at room temperature for as long as I can bear it. Give me my favourite cheesecakes and I'll do my best to let it rest overnight (chilled) to let the flavours blend, then bring it to room temperature to serve. Give me slices of certain hard cheeses and thin sliced of radish and it's to die for. Served warm. I'm with you on cheese serving temperatures.

I've just left the first time cruiser category. Took a cruise on Grand Princess in November - just a short break, to "dip our toes in the water" and see if we liked it. We did. The ship had a lovely library, where I could see several introverts introverting together. (In other words, relaxed in their own chairs with their own choices of book.) I chose to sit in the atrium sometimes. It was noisier than I like it, but there was live music, a lovely coffee shop (hot chocolate was divine) and a place that served snacks like sandwiches and tiny quiches and cakes. The combination of live music and good food called to me like a siren's song. I just wish they hadn't put a bar in the atrium area. I rarely saw anyone in the art gallery, but when I did they were quiet. And (of course) there was art. I found the lido deck and higher were too cold and windy for me: because November is in Australia's late autumn, and we were sailing in the coldest waters. I missed out on most of the events: we didn't really go looking for them. I would have liked to see the show, but we probably were eating at the time. We chose to go to dining places outside of the busy times, which is an introversion paradise. (BTW, the food we had was great, but don't try to go to food places on the top deck if you didn't bring your winter wear and you're on a cold-weather cruise. Take it from me, not worth it!) I guess the thing to say is: enjoy your cruise. Do go explore the ship, you'll probably find nooks where there's a quiet lounge close to a source of tasty sandwiches and great hot chocolate.

Thank you. I think I'll have good relationship with her. And I hope your upcoming cruise is wonderful.

What the heck? (Sorry, couldn't resist.) Many places here have taken to having (what's it called, that square you point your mobile phone at?). You can keep your hands to your own stuff, no shared menus. But we carry small bottles of sanitiser anyway. Refill from the home supply as needed. An old security mantra: the good guys need to be right all the time. The bad guy only needs to be right once.

I met my physiotherapist, and she's done the initial interview and assessment. We'll see how it goes from there.

I was on Grand Princess a couple of weeks ago. The ship disembarked a few passengers due to them having Covid, and I believe there were a few sick with something else contagious. (They were disembarked in Adelaide, Australia so first class medical care.) They did a deep clean of the ship. I didn't hear of anyone else getting sick, and it was a slow news week so I'm sure the media would have dramatised it. My husband is immune compromised, so my brother and I self-quarantined and used our rat tests. He's not going to come on a cruise, but he loves to see how happy we are when we come back.

It's amazing. I think some of it was knowing that there were places to walk TO, rather than just trudging along the street to the neighbor's far fence and back. Walking from the cabin to the atrium for live music, a sandwich and a hot chocolate at the cafe, and humming along quietly to the Ride of the Valkyries is much more exciting. Riding through night skies/ Picking up dead guys/ Showing off white thighs/ Hey, it's a job! My family and carers (paid and unpaid) are checking out places interesting to walk through. Instead of going to the next house, we'll go on a walk along a creek trail. 'Hey, look at these ducks' is a reason to walk a few more steps. 'not long now, the fence is just there' is nowhere near as good.

I recently went on my first cruise. I have a complex variety of ailments, but long story short, there's been a lot of things I couldn't do. During the cruise, I struggled at first with walking. Not unexpected, pre-cruise I could barely manage to go from my house to the end of the next house' fence. But as time went, walking was easier. Managing the walker through rougher seas was more difficult, but in the worst times my partner handled the walker and I relied on the grabrails on the corridors. By the end of the cruise, I was able to walk from our cabin near the front, all the way to the aft of the ship and watch the wake. At home, I'm still able to walk a long distance. Before the cruise, I could barely manage to make a sandwich. No, I haven't magically become able to make a beef wellington roast with all the fixin's! But I can make two rounds of sandwiches. Small sandwiches, with presliced meats or easy to use vegetables. But a vegemite sandwich and a ham-and-tomato is within my purview now! Walking around in my house is easier. If I have laundry to be done, I can drop it off in the laundry basket myself. I can carry my dirty dishes to the kitchen myself. If you happen to know 'spoon theory', I have more spoons available during the day. I have more courage to go beyond my comfort point. I asked my support coordinator to help me with getting a medical item I need. Pre-cruise, I'd mention it (often shyly) to my family and hope they'd arrange it for me. If it was important, I would ask my family. Just not always. I have the 'I'm a burden to my family' mentality, no matter how hard I fight it. But yes, this time I actually asked. And not just family, I asked my support coordinator. Before the cruise ... well, I've needed this particular item for two or three years. Now I asked. Not just my family, I asked my support coordinator. I cannot credit the cruise with this. Correlation is not necessarily causation. But there's been a very distinct improvement in my range of ability since the cruise. (And we're arranging for me to get a physiotherapist to help me maintain at least the physical part of this!) JVes https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/

I wondered why cruises dock at Airlie Beach. To me, it reminds me of a particularly miserable school trip.

It certainly worked for us. Our next cruise will be roughly a week long, and we'll bring one of my (paid) carers. It'll spare my partner from being a full time carer! We're sure we'd love a longer cruise, but we're sparing Vicki from potentially being miserable for a fortnight. I'm very happy that you love Australia - come back this way again. Julia.

Does anyone know how well Virgin treats disabled 'sailors'? I'm very excited that they have a ship who's home port is Melbourne, but I don't want to be stuck without grab bars.

I seem to be completely unable to make short posts.

Oh, I'm sure you will too! My travel agent considered what we look for when we're winding down & having fun, and matched us to Princess. I hope you're matched with the line that works best for you! And let us know when you're doing your own countdown! You're going to be so very excited just with the anticipation. I found that watching the online cruise internet gurus was really helpful: I made myself a cruise book based on Ilana's Ultimate Cruise Planner (from life well cruised). I removed all the bits that didn't apply to us (childcare, for example), and added a lot of things that other cruise gurus mentioned. I actually wound up not using most of the book I made, but the exercise of making it both gave me something useful to do, it also put it all in my mind. I made two copies, my partner had the other one. I think that if I were to give two pieces of advice to new cruisers, they would be: Match your cruise line to your own personality and how you vacation. and Make a cruise book based on the advice you get from a wide variety of sources. Including Cruise Critic. You'll probably not do most of the things in the book, but at least you'll be making an informed decision about what you'll do or not do. One thing I really should have done - & will do in the future - is to tell Medical that I'm allergic to penicillin. Also, Gail and Marty, thank you for the compliment. Julia.

Thank you both. I put a lot of thought into it.

https://www.cruisecritic.com.au/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=708539&stay=1&posfrom=1 Link to my review. Ideas, suggestions, questions, all are welcomed.

Review written. Just needs to be approved by CC's editorial team, and then you'll see my delight! Fair winds and following seas. I had fun.