lyndarra

I second that.

Here you go. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/49-msc-cruises/ Is it a Yacht Club perk? I was on MSC Divina and didn't know there was such a thing but, given the size of their ships, there were probably other parts I still don't know about.

And, a heck of a lot do. I've also met Poms who holiday every year in Devon.

Although, IMHO, the best viewing has always been from an outside upper deck.

This may change with recent WHO announcement. It's a wait and see if cruiselines will change requirements.

My photo included my watch showing date and time. It was enough.

I have not cruised on P & O. My cruising experience so far has been, in order of preference, kinda, Celebrity, HAL, RCI, Princess, Carnival and MSC. I have never had a bad cruise, all are good but some cruise lines do some things a bit better than others and IMO is where they gain their followers. On my last HAL cruise, in one music trivia, I could not answer any of the questions - they were all too modern, about 80s and 90s artists. If you're looking for fun activities Carnival would cover that. Rock climbing, flow riders, water slides skating, dodgem cars. HAL and Celebrity have none of that and, unless they had music venues during the day are fairly staid. I'm not into art shows or auctions or dancing which seem to have lost their appeal although many cruisers long for some music and ballroom dancing (which was never my thing). I recall either Celebrity or RCI having silent disco which is fun to do and watch. MSC have dance classes but we're not seeing them in Oz atm but I think they are coming. HAL usually has a veterans meet. On my last HAL cruise this was well attended, so much so that at the request of participants another two were scheduled - I attended them all. Participants came fom US, Oz, NZ and UK and IIRC included one or two still serving attendees.

My pick would be Noordam, which I have been on, due to the itinerary which always comes first for me. It's also a nice size, not too big, not too small (cue Goldilocks). My favourite two cruise lines are Celebrity and Holland America. The food on a HAL in January cruise was excellent but, I suspect much like other cruise lines, there is a little less variety but still has good options. Serving portions seem to be not as generous (if they ever were) as pre COVID, IMO, but that's not a bad thing if you're thinking about your waistline. You can always ask for more - no problem. HAL has very well attended trivia sessions and had a BBC nature themed films accompanied by live, string, music which I found to be entertaining. No more big shows nowadays which I don't miss. Comedians can be hit and miss some great some terrible. They have several well attended music venues. Lido food is great too. Food quality is close to Celebrity buy I haven't tried Celebrity since Covid. Service is on par i.e. excellent. Go for the itinerary.

Yawn.🥱

Some cruise lines do things differently. I have done a few RCI cruises and enjoyed them very much. One was on Ovation which was fine but it felt a bit like cruising in a floating shopping mall. The others were on Radiance, a much smaller ship, which felt very comfortable and more to my liking. On Radiance we did two half circumnavigations of Oz. For port variety I recommend you consider Holland America. I have also cruised on Princess and Carnival. For comfort, service, dining, (without going to big dollar, all inclusive, luxury cruise lines) my preference is Celebrity which I think is by far the best except for Holland which is a close second.

And redo any E-visas you may have.

The inference I got from the topic was not that cruising is unsuccessful but, that how could it be more successful? As mentioned, we are limited in ports so, to be more successful we would need more people from overseas, due to our small home population, visiting our regions' ports. Some issues affecting travel by overseas visitors are, IMO; Post COVID air transport cost increases - that is certainly working both ways - combined with distance Lack of disposable income due to current financial conditions internationally - inflation and interest rates, and Security uncertainty due to present and possibly, future global conflicts i.e. various wars and political strife.

Tourist T-Visa is USD30 plus USD7 processing fee.

I obtained a visa on arrival when flying in to Seam Reap from Hanoi. It was payable in USD cash only but that was about 12 years ago.

I have several pairs of Aldi motorcycle socks that are marked L & R. The weave is thicker in critical areas - toes, heels, shins and ankles.

Which HAL ships do you consider medium size? The largest HAL ships I've been on are Westerdam and Noordam. I thought these were a medium size. I considered Volemdam and Maasdam small, both of which I have been on.

Looks like there's more to this. A possible related death on board?

Definitely not the news we want to hear.

TV News is reporting that an Aussie is overboard.

Local news here in Oz is reporting an Australian is overboard.

Yep. Taxis for me.

That's no mystery. Everyone knows it's sock-eating washing machines.😁

Is that correct? Wouldn't it depend on the income tax rules for whatever country in which their their income is assessed. It seems tips in USA are taxable if I read the following correctly. https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/tip-recordkeeping-and-reporting

I can hear it now, "a wheel, what's a wheel? That won't get you anywhere."🙄

It's been a while since I played an AC/DC youtube vid (shame on me). Looking at the Marshall stacks on the stage, is it any wonder Brian Johnson had to quit the band or go permantly deaf?