AusMum

It was something like 17C in Perth (Western Australia) and most people looked like they were on a ski holiday lol The media is reporting on how we are all "freezing". It is Winter 🙂 https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/weather/wa-weather-state-shivers-through-start-of-week-with-temperatures-plunging-in-the-wheatbelt-c-11021006

I think these junkets are designed by teacher/for teachers. My son's school (in Perth Western Australia) offered a surf trip to The Maldives, science and music trips to NYC and Florida, and trips to Turkey for ANZAC Day. Some of the schools do regular trips to Indonesia, but it's considered to be 'just down the road' for us. We have traveled a lot with our son. We took him to Alaska when he was 4, and he was one of three children on that particular cruise. He got an award at school for doing a presentation, in front of the entire school, on 'glacier calving in Alaska', and now (at 25) is working his way to a career in renewable energy. Your kids will gain so much from any travel you do with them! I'm curious about what camera you are using? In the past I have dragged a Canon SLR (and lenses) across the globe, but it does become a pain. I'm thinking about investing in something smaller for when we do Greenland and Iceland. Thanks so much for your informative updates!

ohh then we should get one on our Iceland/Greenland expedition? that's pretty cool. I know we get jackets, but we don't get to keep those?

Thanks! we are on the 16 night Endeavour - Iceland and Greenland

We have a wedding to go to in Denmark in late August 2024. We have added a Reykjavik to Reykjavik 16 night Iceland and Greenland cruise on to our itinerary, but we have about 9 nights between leaving Denmark and the commencement of our cruise. My original plan was to spend those nights in Scotland (another country on my bucket list), but now thinking we might be better off spending those extra days in Iceland. Thoughts? what have others done when doing a similar cruise?

What are the in-room dining menus like, especially for breakfast? we are on The Endeavour

May I ask which cruise? We are booked on one from Iceland to Greenland in September next year.

This is one of the top reasons I love living in Western Australia - the sunsets are like this all the time 🙂

In the end, I think I could have booked the cruise myself for the same price, but decided it helps to keep a TA employed for when I do need her. I think she was helpful with travel insurance, which is important with such an $$$ cruise.

The quotes came out the same with two x Australian TAs, SS direct, and an agent in the US. They believe it's because of the popularity of the cruise, and it's almost full already.

This is in Australian dollars. Have received the same quote from SS direct, two Australian TAs, and another in the US (who swore he could better it, but then agreed he couldn't). We chose a superior veranda as the ones available in the lower category weren't very good.

The cruise we booked meant we would be flying via Sydney during their New Year period, and it was almost 'impossible' to get flights. This was for 2021.

It's about half I think, or a bit more. It's around $11,000 each! If we pay in full now we get 15% off the fare.

I have until August next year to get us sorted! 🙂. I had never heard of SS until we saw an advertisement on tv showing ice and polar bears. We had booked to go to Antarctica on Celebrity in 2021, following a 2019 Med cruise, and 2018 Alaskan cruise with them. Of course Covid meant this didn't happen, but we had already been struggling with how we were going to get from Western Australia to Argentina to get on the cruise in the first place. We have a wedding to attend in Denmark (August 2024), and had a light bulb moment where we realised we could more easily access the Arctic than Antarctica, for a similar wilderness experience, taking advantage of already being in Europe. I came very close to dying in 2021/22 from septicaemia. Even though I'm only in my 50s, the reality is you can't always rely on, "I'll wait until we retire to experience our dreams."

I can easily throw in some nice dresses (silk is so light these days), but more worried about hubby taking a jacket etc via Singapore, London, Copenhagen, rural Denmark, then by train to Amsterdam and London, before our departure in Iceland. We might be able to come up with a nice jacket that 'travels well'. He's an accountant, so has loads of suits and ties, but the airlines are becoming even tighter on how much we can travel with.

Thanks! it's really confusing, and I do understand where some are coming from. I've traveled on a few cruises to The South Pacific where it's traditional to have theme nights and formal nights, and you do get disappointed when people show up at the dining room on those nights in shorts and flip flops. I'm hoping the Arctic cruise will feel more like a David Attenborough expedition than ..The Titanic 🙂

This thread is actually making me begin to lose interest in paying our hefty deposit in a few days time. We picked SS because of the itinerary and the 'expedition' nature. No other cruise line appears to be offering anything as exciting in the Arctic for the period we will be in Europe. I had no idea we would have to factor in lugging formal wear across the world from Australia to Iceland, so that others may be happy, I had images of polar bears and mind blowing landscapes, with unforgettable memories. Have played 'the dress up game' on other cruise lines, where it's much easier if the departure port is closer to home, and you aren't tackling several seasons. Someone suggested people don't cruise on SS if they don't want to dress like they are attending the Royal Wedding, but for some of us it's more about the destination than anything else?

It was so tempting to do a cruise from Southhampton to Iceland and Scotland on one of Celebrity's newer ships, but we have decided we should try an 'expedition cruise' whilst we are still in our 50s, and leave the other itineraries until later.

Luckily I don't have a sweet tooth at all. I was originally diagnosed with type 2, but after a close encounter with septicaemia, the jury agreed that it was my whacky immune system creating mayhem with my BSLs, and began calling it type 1.5. Hubby is a classic type 1, so it probably makes life 'easier' when you have similar needs. Potatoes seem to be a carb I can get away with. We do have a couple of lower carb varieties of potato in Australia, which are awesome (and taste better). I don't like fries anyway. We also have low GI rices now. I struggle with carbs in breads and pastas, but sometimes juggling with 'good fats' can help. Salads will give me worse BSLs than steamed vegetables, Sauces can prove to be tricky. Ketchup is so high in sugars, and Asian sauces like oyster sauce can vary greatly in their carbs . I'm not really a drinker, but some gins can even help to level out sugars.

I'm glad you asked this question because we have similar concerns, I have downloaded Calorie King, which helps a bit.

Ahh, so if I want Diet Coke instead of Coke Zero on an Arctic Cruise, I just let them know in advance? I think it would be difficult to source in the middle of Greenland.

I've explored booking our upcoming cruise direct compared to a TA - they both came back with the same deal. I also had a TA in the US see if he could do any better, but he was surprised when he came back with the same deal. We are a bit horrified at the size of the deposit we have to pay for an itinerary in September next year!

I've done two cruises with Celebrity, so will be curious to hear your opinion. We are going on Endeavour next year for a Greenland itinerary.

I'm a diabetic, who takes her health seriously - I'm cringing at the amount of carbs. I might have to do lobster for breakfast, lunch and dinner 🙂

Am not a fan of burgers or pizza, so I hope there's 'healthier options' lol