getting older slowly

Sorry about the delay, a lot has been happening .... We are about to get back on QE at lunch time again in the princess grills for 7 nights.. right a run down cabins are nice and comfortable, bed,desk, lounge, coffee table and 2 chairs, tea and coffee machine which is good,.. the best thing is dining, the restruamt is deck 11 with great views. you are asigned a table which is your for the trip, and waiting for you whenever you arrive for breakfast,lunch and dinner, food was very good and so was the service. we both really enjoyed it, also the grills lounge on the same level was very good with good views often we had it all to ourselves. we are generally princess cruisers always in a suite.. so the Grills is an up market Club Class, and worth the extra... we haerd some people do not like being at the same place for all meals... but you can't please everybody So enjoy your Grills trip cheers Don

Good thought Les, but being after the DeepClean due to Gastro.... the buffet was a no-go area for us.... and have found the buffet / IC idea of a cheese is not the same as Reserved colloction Dining But .. in a few hours heading on board to the land of THE CHEESE TROLLEY in the princess grills on cunard finshed packing and driver will be here in under two hours Cheers Don with Tea

just a general comment on pricess extra charges, we were talking about how everything has gone up.. then to put it in prospective standard fare 7years ago. for a suite (melbourne- NZ return ) was around 10k to 11k for 2 and on boards cost about 1.3k last trip a week ago around 8.5k for standard fare and on board costs 1.8k ( we didnt hold back ) so the overall cost it now less... haing said that price for late 2024 (melbourne- NZ return )is 10.1k Re room serve when in Club Class (reserve collection now ) just ask wait staff for a to go cheese plater and carry it back to cabin ( no cost and best cheese plater on ship ) so price go up, less is included, evyerybody is trying to make a quid Cheers Don with coffee

the crew price of a suite the vibe yes it is the vibe cheers Don

Thanks Les.. Got off yesterday... we are both well...and ready for next cruise on Sunday..... It was good a bit of rock and rolland first 2 days, plenty of food and drink was had without going over the budget Cheers Don. ps boarding was chaos

saw the disney Wonder in Auckland while on the Grand... so many people with micky mouse ears... looked at the prices 3 nights in a interior $2700 NZ per head... some how I dont think so Cheers Don nest cruise Sunday

i will enjoy the cruises out of melbourne until they stop After which we will stop cruising .... so carnival corp get none of my money and we spend it else where.. Cheers Don 1 1/2 hours till boarding

lovely melbourne day to board the grand... but no finger licking lol Don

it reminds me our 1st cruise to NZ in 2016 Melbourne to Auckland 4-5 m seas and a few times 60+ knot winds across the deck... then got as far as wellington, and storms on the east and west coasts of the south island... so headed to picton big storm arrived as we were leaving there... then headed back melbourne.... after heading north almost as far as sydney before following the coast down to miss the storms to get back home Cheerds Don

well I suppose one will make the best of it, as long as they dont run out of wine.... but really vacating cadins from 9.30am to 3pm is not really going to fly on sea days sorry but I would want compenstion for not being able to use one's suite, as we use it a hide away for reading, looking out at the wake, a little zzzz after a long lunch well after ths cruise we have a couple of shorter ones on Cunard before returning to the Grand... Cheers Don

Hi All Just got email from Princess boarding in Melbourne has been delayed until 4pm ( on Wednesday ) due to deep clean due to gastro hope that it the only glitch we have... so one more lunch at home lol Don with Coffee

will be at the mount on tuesday 5th of dec on the Grand so not many sleeps now.. cheers Don now with a single malt

what about a Melways ?? in Dad's library is edtion 1 from 1966.. it is scary to how much empty land was in melbourne and no real freeways.... and good old days lol time for a wee dram cheers Don

Another one bites the dust...... was starting to enjoy Cunard on the QE ... so back to Princess.... Also comparing a Suite on Princess to Princess Grills Suite on Cunard ... Cunard it about 20-30% dearer also drinks are a bit dearer as well... but most enjoyable.. and food is very good in the grills Dressing for dinner it a good idea.. wouldn't want people jumping overboard... Jacket with collar and tie, does help one look somewhat human....lol So have two Princess cruises and two Cunard cruises between now and the end of January, so 33 nights at sea out of 61 days Cheers Don

thanks for the suggestions on where to go... this will be our 8th time in wellingtom on one of the earlier trips, we headed back to the ship earlier, anyway the the bos driver wasn't on shift yet so it gave us a senic tour out to near the airport and round with just us and 6 other people in a 40 seater coach, it took about 40 minutes to get back to the ship, saw a lot it was very good cheers Don

Generally 1st stop is Lambton Quay near Whitmore st 2nd stop is in Wakefield stt next to a little park near Jervois Quay Cheers Don (will be there on the 7th dec on the Grand)

not to worry drinks can be had on port days... off on 29th nov 23 to new zealand then a couple trips on cunard ( dont talk about the daywhen one had pre lunch and after lunch drinks in the lounge ) and then 22nd jan 24 to SA Don with a G&T

To reply... Dress up for predinner and in the evening but for next cruise Lunch will be black jeans and a shirt and blue jeans and polo for breakfast and wandering around the ship. Really enjoyed the QG and looking forward to our next cruise Cheers Don

1000 days......Did somebody say the ship is going to Mars....lol Don

talking cars, telling you where go.......lol what is the world coming too... It seams non talking cars... and ones you actally change gears yourself are a dying breed.. Must be getting old..... cheers Don

Suite Why ? Bigger Cabin Club Class is Good along with Suite Breakfast Free Laundry is good last cruise was 24 hr turn around\ The only way we travel Cheers Don

I thing it comes back to it.. each to his own... great thing lots of cruise lines to go with... for us it is Princess and shorter ones on Cunard and really short ones Spirit of Tassie lol just waiting for lunch ( up near Halls Gap ) for BH Birthday... Smoked Salmon, Tuna Pate. freshly cook bread Rolls served with a local Fizz and dinner is Fresh Prawns, chips and salad with French Fizz. Cheers Don

Costa.... ummm My Cousin and his wife did a costa cruise in asia a 14 nighter,.. the other year they are princess cruisers..... what they said OMG Never again..... it was a good price but no..... good luck Don

A further update We have booked another cruise on QE in a Princess Grill Cabin for 5 nights in December 2023.... Cheers Don

We saw our travel agent today, another couple of cruises booked Cunard again to hobart 5 nights Dec 23 yes in princess grill again and a princess to South Austraila 7 nights Jan 24 to add to our all ready booked NZ with Princess in Nov 23..... time to enjoy ourselves Cheers Don soon to have G&T