buchhalm

Lucy, you must have a lead foot. 1 hour Sydney (CBD) to the Blue Mountains is a very good time! 😉

2 comments: 🙂 1: When you purchase wines at wineries in Australia (ships tour or not) they will send it to your home in Australia for a minimal fee or even for free if you spend a bit more. Most will also organise international shipping for you. That is if you don't plan to enjoy the wine on the ship. 2: the good thing with many wines now is that they have twist tops/ screw caps. One might pour out a cheap wine and replace it with nice whisky/gin/tequila.... 😎

Mic is right. Madama Butterfly will be on from March 24, 2023. However not IN the Opera House, but on a floating stage on the harbour nearby. That will be an Opera Australia (the company that performs in the SOH and other venues around Australia) production. Apart from that, there are bugger all performances on the calendar yet. Guided tours should still be going ahead. At times where there aren't any shows on, the tours are actually great, because you are more likely to be shown inside the theatres and/or backstage areas. Naturally they don't show you these parts when performances or rehearsals are on.

I don't see much point of an organised tour of the city. You would just sit in traffic for most of the time. Unless one of you has mobility issues, the city is easily manageable on foot, public transport or a quick taxi ride or two. There is a pretty good Hop on Hop off bus here that will give you a great overview of Sydney and even some of the beaches. Do a bit of research and decide which attractions are a MUST SEE and a touring plan is easily put together.

Number one consideration for me would be what TYPE of cruise you want. Budget(ish), classy, luxury? What's important for you ON THE SHIP? Lots of action, party, activities? Good (gourmet) food? Do you want a mega ship with many thousands of passengers and everything up to and included thrill rides? There is a British guy who has a fabulous YouTube channel called "tips for travellers", Gary Bembridge. Well worth looking at for lots of cruise info.

It is still 6 months to our planned cruise on Celebrity from Sydney to NZL. I realize that things will probably change by then, but I'm interested in what pre-departure Covid tests are actually accepted. It seems that the CRUISE LINES are making up their own regulations at the moment as to what type of test they do or don't accept. As Princess is ATM the only line operating, most comments here are so far relating to that particular company. Have any of you managed to clarify Celebrity's rules? I can only find regulations on their US website that seems to be quite US specific. They seem to accept PCR tests and RAT tests. In the case of RAT, these must ALSO be supervised and confirmed (somehow) by "a medical professional". Is this service even available in Australia? I'll ask this also on the Roll Call for this cruise. 🙂

P.S.: it never ceases to amaze me what subjects are raised in these forums!! 🙂👏👏

I never tried that, but I shall give it a go. However, there is rarely anything TO store, after we opened a bag of chips.

I find this quite extraordinary. The companies (any, not just Celebrity) can take your $ in an instant, but "have staffing problems " in case anything goes wrong. What is also bad is that they advertise these flights as a convenient one-stop service. Great, if it works out. Not so great when it doesn't. Nobody seems to be responsible or interested. The comments by some, 'don't bother on the weekend " is sad (for Celebrity). They are an international business and should be contactable 24/7 . Customers live in different time zones (and Saturday/Sunday) isn't the weekend everywhere.

Great tip with the contact email. Thank you! My cruise line is selling the trip in January next year, but it looks very expensive. I suspect it is similar to a ships tour of the Flam railway in Norway, vs. a direct ticket from the rail company...

And tell us WHEN you will be in Sydney🙂 Taronga Zoo is wonderful . Apart from the animals, it has beautiful harbour and city skyline views. 3, 4 hours go by quickly. You can get a combined ferry-zoo ticket at circular quay. Plus (I believe) a ticket with the option to take the cable car from Taronga Wharf to the gate. There are loads of options for harbour sightseeing. Just the ride with commentary, or lunch/dinner/afternoon tea cruises. Some are excellent, some a bit Meh... I prefer a LUNCH cruise. Dinner sounds nice in principle, but remember that you will mostly looking at your own reflections. It's lit up inside, and dark outside...😉 And I cannot recommend a Harbour Bridge Climb highly enough. It's NOT CHEAP, but worth every Cent.

A friend made the mistake to decant a tin of Sweet and Low into a zip lock bag. WHYYYYY!!!!!???? The customs guys in Bangkok were getting VERY excited.

It sounds like a major pain in the butt. Apart from a quick flight from Athens to Mykonos, there are many ferries from Piraeus to the island. Anything from relatively slow large car ferried to high speed ferries. A cheap and quick taxi ride from the pier to the ferry terminal (or a bit of a walk, depending from where you dock) is all it takes. Time-wise it will probably be much the same. ATH airport is quite some distance away.

Over the years, we have taken cruise company tours and private tours, split pretty evenly. Where private tours most often come into play is during repeat visits to the same port. If you do a few Mediterranean cruises, you are likely to be offered the same cookie cutter highlights tours by (any) cruise line. In such cases we rent a car, do the private organised tour or use public transport. Missing the boat on most Med cruises - especially those up and down the coast of Italy - would not be much more than an annoyance. The ports are SO close together, you nearly coukd ride a bicycle and still can sit on the pier waiting for the ship to come into the next port. As for the famous "pier runners ", this must become a rare event. I haven't seen any "new" clips on YouTube for a long time. 😉

We booked an Australia - New Zealand cruise for January 2023. It is under this "always included " package, so tips (sorry, "gratuities") are covered. HOWEVER, if we want to slip certain people a bit extra here and there, what currency would you use? We are Sydney based, so for us a stack of Australian $ is of course easiest. Or should we get USD from the bank? A hassle, but at least we could get a stack of $1 notes for small tips. Our smallest note here is a fiver....

Bad idea. Even if it's just from, say, NYC with loads of available flights. If they are planning to come from Hicksville, Alabama with limited flights, forget about for sure.

I cringe thinking about spa treatments on ships (or anywhere not in Asia, really). The prices stress me out more than any 'relaxing' treatment could help with. 🙂 Having lived in Thailand, we enjoyed massages at least twice a week. And no, not the ones with "happy ending". 😎 And the biggest turn off getting treatments (raffle prices, or not) is the constant hard selling push of further treatments and "essential " lotions and potions. Or shampoos, conditioners and treatments. Oh and expecting to slap on a tip on top of mega expensive treatments.

Aha!!!! Thanks. I've never heard that term before.

Difficult to make fried eggs out of a carton....

What is "Well liquor "???

True. There were/are a few more luggage storage places closer to Circular Quay. Most seem to be within conveniencestores, which I personally find a bit dodgy Another place I found on line, but not seen in real life or used is this place. https://usebounce.com/city/sydney?slug=hE3srC

Ok, Here it goes. Trains to the Blue Mountains are running on the BMT Blue Mountains Line. Look for Central to Bathurst trains. From (Sydney) Central to Katoomba it takes around 2 hours (+/- 15 minutes). Tickets cost around AUD 6.50 to 10.50. If you are going to use the public transport more often, get an Opal Card. That's our stored value transport card. Available at stations and most newsagents and conveniencestores. You have to "tap" on and off for every trip! You find timetables (They very rarely change) here: www.transportnsw.info Www.transportnsw.info/routes/details/intercity-trains/bmt/02BMT www.visitnsw.com for general information The Blue Mountains HoHo bus is called the Blue Mountains Explorer. www.explorerbus.com They have a combination ticket with the attractions at Scenic World. For guided tours from Sydney, look at these companies. www.grayline.com www.sydneyadventuretours.com www.australianluxuryescapes.com They all have small group tours with no more than 20/25 pax. All show you petty much the same things, including Federdale Wildlife Park (Koalas, Kangaroos etc) and lunch/ morning tea. Tours take 9-11 hours. It probably is way too early to book for next year, but you get an idea what it is all about.

THE book about Australia I recommend to anybody coming here is "Down Under" by the incomparable Bill Bryson. I must have bought at least 20 copies for friends travelling here. It is funny, witty and gives you a great insight about the country and a basic history lesson as well. There is also an audio book version available.

The only secure luggage storage in Sydney I know of is at Sydney Central train station. It is perhaps not too convenient distance wise from Circular Quay where your ship is likely to dock. But it is just a short taxi ride or direct train ride. Better than schlepping your stuff around with you. Attraction wise, and if you are feeling moderately energetic, a Harbour Bridge Climb is a sensational way to see Sydney. It is not cheap, but you get a 3+ hours experience I can't recommend highly enough. Worth every Cent. There are guided tours of the Sydney Opera house, including some backstage options. If you are lucky, there is a matinee performance of something at the opera house. A good way to rest your legs for a few hours.

The stop in question is KATOOMBA. That's the main town (Well, a large village) in the Blue Mountains. Be careful however, as this is by no means "The LAST stop". The train goes on a lot further. Trains on the so-called Blue Mountains Line go frequently from Sydney's Central Station. The HoHo bus in Katoomba leaves from just outside the station and you can buy tickets from the driver. (No need or benefit to buy these tix in advance). The HoHo bus covers pretty much all the major sights and prettiest viewing spots up there, but it does NOT run all that often!! Twice per hour at the most, from memory. Don't expect a big city frequency. There is a cluster of "adventure" attractions up there at a place called Scenic World (www.scenicworld.com.au) which is pretty good. Cable cars and such things. It is on the HoHo route. I'll do a bit of digging about train schedules from/to Sydney and HoHo schedule and prices, and report back