HurricaneJane

Perhaps one good reason to be from Oregon as we have mail-in ballots...I am able to go to County Clerk's office on the 16th of September and pickup my mail-in ballot.

San Diego, Sept 29,2016 39 days on the Noordam to Auckland New Zealand with friend Margo. Our bucket list cruise!!!

Shirl (HurricaneJane)

Has anyone done the Sydney Opera House excursions, especially to performances. We heard there were LOTS OF STAIRS to climb. We are mobile but wonder about climbing the stairs. Any comments? Also was it worth it to attend the show.

as I understand there are 200 steps...however, if taking the backstage tour there is a different entrance at the 12 p.m. tour...I purchased tickets to see "My Fair Lady" and if necessary will crawl up the stairs. It is being produced by Julie Andrews and her daughter. I will probably be at the Opera house from a.m. for the backstage tour as well as the matinee and then will return to the ship..Hopefully, my roommate will take lots of pictures of Sydney!!!

In both Suva and Port Denarau there are money exchange shops. In Suva, there is a money exchange shop a bit further along the street from Jacks department store. When I say 'along the street' I mean walking in the direction away from the ship. At Port Denarau, the money exchange shop is in the middle of the mall where the ship's tender drops you off. At these places you would be able to change US$ to FJD.

Thank you very much. Makes finding a place to exchange currency will be a time saver

I am travelling to Suva and Port Denarau this coming Thursday on the Carnival Spirit. I went in to the local Travelex shopfront on Friday and was able to get $50 AU in Fijian currency.

Thanks but think i am coming from Hawaii to Fiji. Perhaps there is some place to exchange usd for fiji currency?

Hi Aus Traveller,

That's interesting and good news. You don't hear much on the boards about this, so I'm pleased. The other day I learned that an American had USD accepted in Fiji.

Cheers,

Anna

I am interested to know if I can exchange USD or use the cash for purchases in Suva? Any information will be appreciated because this is my first time to Fiji.

When we ( DW & I ) took our first 3 of our 33 cruises so far, on the Carnival Sensation ( ’95) , the RCI Majesty Of The Seas ( ’96 ) and Carnival Paradise ( ’98) , there literally were almost NO balconies on cruise ships yet except for the very rich. They were called “suites”. I called them “cabins of the Gods”…And, like many, I was…cheap..there, I said it!! CHEAP..not “thrifty” or “careful with my money”…CHEAP..a cabin is just for sleeping, right? That was what I thought..more on that later...our Carnival cabins on both cruises were outside window cabins, about 185 square feet . But our inside cabin on the Majesty was a puny 122 sq ft- wow, that was tight! In fact, so tight, that I knocked my tiny wife ( 4’11” & 102 lbs.) down no less than 6 times during our cruise as we were trying to walk about inside our mole-like cabin!! I am 100 pounds heavier than her, and 10 inches taller…she didn’t have a chance. We realized that while we were going to get ready for dinner, or to go out, one person must be in the bathroom ( yeah, that was enormous ,too, LOL..) , while the other person got ready/ dressed. We had a great time on all 3 cruises, but I can tell you one thing: we never looked forward to going back to our cabins like we do now…even the Carnival window cabins had small portholes that you had to climb up on a ledge over the bed to see out- not easy nor fun for 40 somethings already…

 

Then in 1999 we were invited ( I am a cruise agent) to preview the brand new Princess ship, the Grand Princess. At 109,000 tons she was, at that time, the biggest, newest, most innovative cruise ship in the world ( Carnival Destiny was the first ship to surpass 100,000 tons in ’96) . Princess gave us Carte Blanche to tour the ship on our own. She was lovely, and soooo much bigger than the 70,000- 73,000 ton ships we had been on before. But the real eye-opener was when we toured the cabins and saw our first balcony cabin …WOW!!!! It was a beautiful sunset evening in Fort Lauderdale and as my wife & I went out on our first balcony ever, we were breathless! “Oh my God”, said my wife, “look at this view..it’s so amazing!!” . There was one thing we both noticed immediately: we FELT the water! We FELT the salt air. We FELT the wind. Our 5th wedding anniversary was coming up in 6 months ( May 2000 ) , and my wife said, “why don’t we book a balcony for our anniversary and see if we like it?”. We did, we loved it, and now, sadly for my VISA/ Master Charge or AMEX, we are hooked on balconies for life. Thanks, cruise ship balcony! And here is why:

 

The Connection

 

A balcony cabin can make you feel connected to the sea and makes you feel like you’re on a cruise!! Would you book a hotel room without a window? What’s the point of being on a ship if you can’t see the ocean passing your stateroom? Having a balcony completely changes the type of cruise you will have. Water is very therapeutic, and sitting out in the open air and reflecting is a great way to start or wind down the day. I am almost in a trance while out there, especially on those gorgeous days at sea on the Caribbean or Mediterrean. It is mesmorizing, isn’t it? Sure, the mountains, hiking, nature walks, even the Grand Canyon are great, but to me, nothing comes close to sitting on a lounge chair on my balcony and watching the waves & white caps, and seeing the birds swoop down and get a fish, or seeing dolphins swim along side the ship right below you, while the cool sea breezes caress your face & body with that soothing salt air….Wow, what a rush!! I am out there NO less than 5-6 times a day, even if for only a minute, to be part of the sea experience. Thanks, cruise ship balcony!

 

Convenience & Privacy

 

We all know that sail away parties can be a blast, and for me, it signifies the start of my cruise vacation. But sometimes to jockey for space ( like we tried to do on a recent cruise on the Allure Of The Seas) on the top deck with thousands of other people, is difficult. Doing it from your own balcony just makes more sense. Another great time to appreciate a balcony is on a sea day. I love sea days because they truly are for relaxing. Like most passengers, we go to the pool deck, be it the adult pool area, or if they don’t have one, the main pool area. We get there usually by 9 or 10 AM to get chairs in a decent location. Like others, we enjoy being at sea, reading, listening to my IPOD, checking out the people, listening to the Caribbean band ( one of my fav things to do- to me, the reggae band is part of the cruise experience!) , having a tropical drink or adult beverage, etc. Lunch, then more fun in the sun. The sun can really take a lot out of you, and after 5 or 6 hours in the heat, we usually head back to our cabin to detox a bit. I can tell you this: I was NEVER in a hurry to get back to our “broom closet” inside cabin because there was nothing to see or feel in there. But now, when I walk to open my cabin door, I can’t wait to get in there and check out what’s happening at sea!!! Sometimes there were other cruise ships out there and I would take my binocs ( standard for balcony use for me!) and check out what ship it was. Or maybe you were passing a beautiful island…maybe the white caps have picked up a bit…but getting back to opening the door to our cabin, it’s so nice after 5-6 hours of hearing sometimes thousands or even just hundreds of people having fun on the pool deck, the band, the NOISE, etc…then you walk into your cabin, and the calmness and quiet hits you- it’s so tranquil..and then you walk out onto your balcony and just hear the waves, the ocean breezes , feel the warm salt air….aaaahhh…finally, if you’re a couple, nightime brings another dimension…many leave the balcony doors open to hear, smell & feel the sea at night…the rest you can use your imagination, I’m sure!!! A cabin as you can see, or imagine, is not just for sleeping & showering…if you have a non-balcony cabin, look what you’re missing!! Thanks, cruise ship balcony!

 

Open Air Dining

 

Open air dining? Yes, please! Sure, you can go upstairs and dine with all the others, sometimes 1000-2000 people, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But sometimes you just want to breakaway from the crowds, order room service ( which is included in your cruise fare ) , and enjoy breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and even a late night snack on a private table for two . With 24 hour room service, any meal can be enjoyed on your balcony. You don’t even have to order room service. You can go to the main dining room, or your favorite specialty venue and take the meal to go..food, wine or your favorite beverage, the sun, or moonlight, alone, or with company, just you & the sea..magical!! Thanks, cruise ship balcony!!

 

The Weather and unexpected wonders

 

It’s always nice to know what the weather is like before you head out for the day.When my wife & I had our inside cabin, I ordered room service ( pretty boring in a dark 122 Sq ft cabin), ate, then got into our swimming outfits to go to the pool deck on our first sea day..we emerged from our mole-like cabin and discovered that NO, we were not going to sun bathe that day as the sun deck had turned into a rain deck. We were the only idiots standing at the doors of the pool deck ready for nothing…

Another thing that you miss out on if you don’t have a balcony- a thunderstorm. As long as you are not on some small boat or vessel, a thunderstorm at sea is one of the most awe inspiring things I’ve ever seen. And I was able to experience it because of one thing- my balcony. It is really an amazing sight to see the dark clouds form in the horizon, and the lightening, not to mention the waves rising ( not too high, don’t worry!)…it almost looks like the clouds are bending down to meet the sea..it is powerful, beautiful, and sometimes frightening, but very, very cool! Thanks, cruise ship balcony!!

 

Conclusion

 

Balconies are like cruising- they’re addictive… the late Robert Palmer said it so well in his 1986 song, “Addicted To Love”…I would change the words & title and say, “no doubt about it you’re addicted to balconies”….there is one thing balconies are not good for, my wife tells me- your hair. But I think most would trade a good hair day for a relaxing day at sea on your balcony. But still, ladies, trust what my wife says, leave the curling iron at home, LOL…

 

And finally, if you find yourself thinking about booking your first balcony on a cruise, you might hear this from the Gods Of Verandahs whispering a line similar to a line in the movie, "Field Of Dreams..” If you book it, you will love it”…Thanks, cruise ship balcony!! I would love to hear your stories , especially those of you who have cruised in both inside & balconies..my favorite one is a couple whom I booked TWELVE straight inside cabins for , until I finally booked them a B2B ( back to back cruise over 2 weeks, Eastern & Western Caribb) , and their first week was an inside, but I FINALLY convinced them to try a balcony I found that was only $100 more for the whole cruise, or $7 a day pp for a balcony, great time to try one..well, on the first full day at sea on the balcony cruise, they CALLED me from their balcony ON THE SHIP and told me they were loving their balcony!! The man, whose name is Steve, said to me " what a cheap idiot I have been all these years..this is so amazing sitting out here..everything you told us was right about enjoying a balcony..no more insides for us!"

Since then ( about 5 years now), they only book balconies, and even a Junior or Mini Suite if I can get a good deal on them...I have dozens of similar stories, but this couple was one of those who 1) didn't want to spend any extra $$ for a balcony, and 2) Thought cabins were only for sleeping & showering...how wrong they were....so Thanks cruise ship balcony!!

 

Big Al

Cruise Planners

 

 

Big Al

“Won’t You Let Me Take You On A Sea Cruise”

thank you so much..I had thought the same as you about only needing a place to bath and sleep and to live on the decks..however, going on 39 day cruise and my friend who has done many cruises insisted that we get a balcony for that length of time...will let you know my feeling when we return from Auckland,.