PurpleTraveller

In 2018 on my Princess cruise we also did a full circumnavigation (anti-clockwise) of the island. At first our captain didn't think we would able to but when the wind died down, around we went. A great experience!

As you know the Australian summer of bushfires was horrendous. One fire alone in the Blue Mountains burned 510,000 hectares and another two fires burned another 40,000 hectares. The recovery has been slow and hampered by the Covid-19 crisis. The bush is recovering (it is amazing how quickly the bush regenerates) and visitors are now being welcomed back - with social distancing of course! Scenic World has reopened but with timed tickets. A number of towns, particularly on the northern side of the Blue Mountains, were badly damaged with a number of homes and businesses lost. They are very slowly being rebuilt and reopening. It will take a long time to fully recover but they will as they are strong and resilient. 2020 has been a challenging year! 😊

You're welcome! It is an amazing rock formation and is at a great lookout as there are usually very few people there and the views are wonderful!

It looks like Boars Head Rock viewed from Cahill's Lookout. One of my favourite lookouts to take my overseas visitors. 😊

I am loving your virtual journey! Thank you so much for taking us all along. I am enjoying every moment! I was fortunate enough to see my youngest son sing at the Sydney Opera House in a School Spectacular. Your photos of areas I haven't seen were great to see. Here is a photo of the finale of the Spectacular. I look forward to seeing your Majestic cruise. I went on her for a cruise to New Zealand in 2018. Thanks again! 😊

I did a Norway - Land of the Midnight Sun cruise on Sapphire Princess last year and did a review. It was a great cruise and I had a wonderful time. Hope you enjoy reading it and that you get to go on a Norway cruise in the future! 😊

I had my May 4 Sapphire Princess cruise cancelled by Princess in Phase 1 on March 12. On June 2 I received my FCC and FCD was returned. On June 10 I received my full refund in my bank account. All amounts are correct. It took a while but it came through eventually! Hope all of you who are are still waiting (and I know there are an awful lot of you) get your refunds and FCC soon! 😊

In 2017 I flew into Heathrow Terminal 3 and got the National Express bus from the Heathrow Central Bus Station directly to Southampton. It took about two and a half hours and went via Winchester. It was an easy and relaxed way to get to Southampton after a long flight from Australia. The National Express bus timetables are all changed at the moment due to Covid-19. Hopefully in August 2021 you should be able to walk from Terminal 2 to the Central Bus Station and get a bus directly to Southampton which would be much better than going into London. 😊

The Blue Grotto is lovely to visit particularly on a hot day but it will take a chunk of your day to get there by public transport. If you want to go there on a cruise day it may be better to go by taxi or on a tour. We went during a four day land trip when we only used public transport. We went to the Blue Grotto in the morning on the 8.50am number 74 bus, did the boat cruise, returned to Valletta on the 11.40am number 74 bus and then went to Mdina on the 12.40pm number 51 bus and returned to Valletta on the 2.00pm number 52 bus. Was a great day. There is plenty to see and do in Valletta and easy to do DIY. Also across the harbour is the Three Cities which is also easy to get to by ferry.

I have been in E219 on Emerald Princess and this was the view and layout. 😊

My Baltics and Norwegian cruises have been two of my favourites but they are very different. The Baltics is more about large and historic cities with lots of history and beautiful buildings. Tallinn and Gdansk are gorgeous and St Petersburg wonderful. The sail in and out of Stockholm is also beautiful. Norway is about spectacular scenery, quaint villages and sailing magnificent fjords. We went to the very north and experienced the midnight sun which was amazing. Whichever cruise you choose they are both wonderful. In case you are interested I did reviews of both these cruises. Happy cruising! 😊 https://boards.cruisecritic.com.au/topic/2426743-baltic-heritage-on-crown-princess-3-june-2017/

I visited Gdansk in June 2017 when on a Princess cruise. When researching before the cruise I had read that public transport to Gdansk, which is a 45 minute drive from the port at Gydnia, was not easy, was time consuming and taxis were not readily available. Maybe others who have done public transport can report on their experience. My on board time was 3.30pm so to maximise my time in Gdansk I took the Princess "Gdansk on your Own" shore excursion as it was the easiest option for me and relatively inexpensive. When we left the dock there were a number of taxis waiting outside the dock exit but I do not know their price or how difficult it was to find a taxi to return to the ship from Gdansk. We were taken on a drive through the tri-city area of Gydnia, Sopot and on to Gdansk past the Oliwa Cathedral and the home of Lech Walesa (the founder of the Solidarity Movement, winner of the Noble Peace prize and former President of Poland) with a commentary from the guide. We were dropped off near to the old city centre and had four and a half hours on our own. Gdansk is a lovely city with many beautiful buildings, shops and restaurants. The river front is particularly lovely. I had a wonderful time wandering around the quaint streets, visiting St Marys Church and doing some shopping. On the way back to the ship we made a quick stop at Monument to the Shipyard Workers. I really enjoyed my visit to Gdansk.

Wow, snowing! We were there on June 19, 2019 and it was my favourite port on our Land of the Midnight Sun cruise on Sapphire Princess. We were very lucky with the weather and the views were spectacular. 😊

What a lovely thread! Hard to choose but all great memories! Volunteer Point, Falkland Islands Sailaway from Auckland, New Zealand Mt Dalsnibba, Geiranger, Norway

I did the 14 day Norway, Land of the Midnight Sun cruise leaving from Southampton in June last year. I loved the cruise and all the ports were great. My itinerary was Stavanger, Flam, Geiranger, Trondheim, Honningsvag, Tromso, Gravdal (Lofoten Islands), Alesund and Bergen. The scenery was beautiful, the towns pretty and seeing the midnight sun amazing. I would happily do the same itinerary again as there was so much to see and do. I did a review of my cruise.