Mareblu

19 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Our salmon isn't as fresh from the river/ sea like Lyle's is likely to be.

No, and certainly not the same quality, as it's usually farmed.  I found some beautiful, rich, red Canadian salmon imported by Harris Farm in Bowral last year.  It was another level.  Very costly though, so maybe only a yearly visit to Bowral, as I can't trust myself in the fresh fish section at Harris Farm.  I actually prefer the taste and colour of ocean trout, but it's usually not deboned.  The skin on the ocean trout can be grilled to a perfect, rich crunch.  We're lucky we have a vast variety and abundance of exquisite fish in our own waters, usually white fleshed.

10 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

Okay that's enough already.  

I  got in to work okay but it started to snow pretty heavily (for here), and the traffic reports came in. So being fairly confident my Subaru with all wheel drive and winter tires would be okay; I wasn't at all confident that others on the road would refrain from running in to me.

I got home fairly safely although there were some slippery moments. 

Not at all fun to drive in.  It's so beautiful, though.  Ethereal.  

1 hour ago, MicCanberra said:

The salmon fillets I buy already have the scales removed.

Ditto

20 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

Thanks Linda, Sockeye is our go to salmon, It has a nice colour and pleasant flavour. Put us on the cooked fully list of salmon lovers, we don't really like the skin, so I start the fish presentation side down and then flip it over, if the skin sticks to the pan that's okay you just run the flipper between the skin and the fish, leaving the skin in the pan.

Then pass it to me🙂

Looks delicious, Lyle😋

My ancestors rest peacefully in the Highlands (Dalmally, and by Loch Tulla, and in Perthshire).  We have visited many times, and are returning in May.  Such beauty.  I weep whenever we leave.

5 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

My husband who is a Scot was interesting to find out if they served something like Chicken Stuffed with Haggis or other Haggis dish.  

Such offerings may well have been on the menu, which does differ in the various restaurants throughout Queen Elizabeth.  I have only recorded our choice of roast pheasant in Queens Grill, but I recall sampling haggis offered I vaguely remember as appetisers in some form, and I think it may have been entree tarts or something similar.  Haggis definitely featured.  Sorry I can't be more specific.

I don't have 26 January listed in my travel diary as a gala evening, and if it was, it's the only gala I haven't noted.  It is in fact Australia Day, and I recall, and have recorded, spending a marvellous hour or two in the Golden Lion listening to and singing along with The Newfoundland Duo as they entertained us with superb renditions of traditional Australian songs and bush ballads.  It may well have been a gala evening, of course.  I only recall the Australiana theme.

I always keep a travel diary, so have opened it to refresh my memory.  Burns Night was indeed held on 25 January (hilariously, we were visiting Burnie, Tasmania that day, and I remember remarking to my husband that we would be commemorating Burns in Burnie).  We enjoyed a Black and White gala evening on 21 January, after a Roaring Twenties on 18 January.  As the cruise was technically a b-2-b (Sydney-New Zealand-Sydney, then Sydney-Tasmania-Sydney), there were only two gala evenings on the shorter second leg, but more on the first.  Burns Night did not coincide with a gala evening, but it would be a good idea to combine the two.  Red and Gold would be perfect, and kilts and tartans could abound.  My diary tells me we dined on roast pheasant on Burns Night, and I recall (although didn't record) that mini-haggis tarts were offered as appetisers in Queens Grill.  We would repeat that cruise experience in a heartbeat;  it was marvellous.  Sadly, that will no longer be possible, as you know, as Cunard will shortly be discontinuing its Australian waters cruising.  We are very much looking forward to our Queen Anne "British Isles" cruise in May.  We have our fingers crossed there will be no delay in her readiness.

We enjoyed a wonderful Burns Night a year ago (2023) on QE in the Queen’s Room during a 3-week Australian/New Zealand cruise.  The haggis was piped in and addressed, followed by some Burns readings by various officers (with mesmerising Scottish accents).  After, traditional Scottish music and progressive dancing.  A superb experience, not to be missed if you’re aboard.

8 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

I am sailing the Vista for my next trip.  I was recently on the Riviera.  I do very much enjoy having a cigar and as a matter of fact, just had one on my deck at home at 29 degrees outside. That was very unusual for me.  I usually like a really nice cigar lounge or my roof in the summer time. 

 

I never had a cigar on the Riviera.  As mentioned, the smoking room by the Horizons said not pipe or cigar smoking.  Also, and this will sound strange, the smoke in the room was a little overpowering.  That from a cigar smoker. I did not smoke outside because even though I knew it was ok in a specific area, I did not want to effect anyone else's trip that hated the smell. I hade the right, and choose not to. My call 100% and no issue if anyone else wanted to smoke out there. 

 

I will try the Vista Smoking lounge but have a feeling, it will just be a place to smoke and not a traditional Cigar Lounge.  For me, that is half the enjoyment.  Leather Chairs, dark would, humidor, drink service.  For me, cigars are like a really nice drink.  Where you have it, the glass you use, the music or lack there of, the experience is as important as the item. Just my two cents and we will see.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

Thank you so much for your consideration of others.  It is pervasive, and even on a corner of the deck, is really horrible to walk past.  I can say this  because like many of my generation, I used to smoke, even though it was many years ago.  It is rare to see anyone smoking in Australia these days, and absolutely forbidden (for many years now) to smoke indoors in public places, which includes private clubs, etc.

Sounds a perfect Sydney day.

2 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

Thanks Linda, we will fly into Sydney because we can do a direct flight from Vancouver to Sydney. We will probably use Qantas for that flight. We had our route planned the last and it went through Batemans Bay to visit Les. We will probably use a similar plan. The last plan had us in Canberra for s couple of days, so that will continue, of course Mic & Rosie will be at sea when we are there, but we are happy that  you have offered to give us your home town insight. We have added Lake Macquarry to visit Lyndon and also @mr walkerNeil would like us to visit Penrith. The key to success for us is to meet as many people as we can and not be rushing from place to place. The plan will come together over the next 8 months or so. We will be a few days in Sydney and also Melbourne. Hopefully we can meet up with @possum52Leigh and Rob while in Melbourne. A few of my CC friends have my email and I have posted it in long form before, if you would like to get in touch lyle dot duck at shaw dot ca

Perfect.  Will be in touch Lyle.

14 minutes ago, TouchstoneFeste said:

Not at all. That and/or the dark grey would be very nice, I should think.

I completely agree

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

@Mareblu Thanks Linda, we are grateful for your offer and we accept. We are still more than a year out and we had planned a road trip before with several places to meet people. Of course there are more people now so we will be going out The Great Ocean Road as far as Warrnambool. Most of the trip was along the coast, travelling south west from Sydney. There were stops at Philip Island (we want to see the Penguins). I also want to see Ballarat, maybe overnight at Craigs Hotel. We will be in Oz about 3 weeks. With Mic & Rosie setting out on their Voyage on the 21st of February, hopefully we can meet up in Sydney on the 20th. We will arrive in Sydney on the 19th of February and leave from Melbourne on the 13th or 14th of March, the cruise boards in Auckland on the 16th.

That’s terrific, Lyle, and we look forward to it.  Sorry, lapse in concentration had you doing the road trip the other way round.  Never mind, just reverse my suggestion, which is only that.

13 minutes ago, lyndarra said:

From my experience I would add to avoid the coastal route on weekends.

Particularly between Sydney and Nowra-Mollymook, but such beautiful scenery to miss.  The alternative, of course, is to drive to Batemans Bay, with any desired designated stops on the way.  The scenery to the Bay on the coastal route is stunning.  Then take the Kings Highway through the Clyde Mountain climb and historic Braidwood to Canberra.  Here we again offer accommodation, with a free sightseeing tour thrown in.  Canberra to Sydney on the Federal Highway and then Freeway to Sydney is then not a long drive at all.

DH projects a superb figure in black tailored pants, white formal shirt with cufflinks and studs, as mentioned above, and his favoured midnight blue velvet dinner jacket with black lapels to match pants.  Although he has formal pants with said stripe at home, he always packs for holidays in the other hemisphere, very finely tailored black pants with a hint of a sheen to match said lapels.  That way, the pants can also be worn with a sports jacket on less formal evenings.  Daniel Craig, eat your heart out, IMHO😉

16 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

@mr walker Thanks Neil, we will probably fly in to Sydney around the 18th of February 2025 maybe a little later. We are keen to meet the friends we have been in contact through Cruise Critic and will definitely plan to visit your part of OZ. I had hoped for about 4 weeks in Oz but it will more likely be 3 weeks. The road trip will start in Sydney and end in Melbourne. We want to choose a route that lets us meet people and see Oz. While I will use Motor Ways we would prefer perhaps a slower pace, so we aren't missing the very place we came to see. We want to be able to stop at local places to eat or buy groceries if we have arranged accommodations with a kitchenette. When doing road trips here we have a little power cooler that plugs into the car's power points. It works really well, we'll buy one of those because Lynn will need to keep her insulin chilled. We can leave it with @possum52 Leigh in Melbourne if she wants it. We will be flying out of Melbourne for Auckland on the 13th or 14th of March, we board the cruise on the 16th. There is a port stop in Melbourne on the cruise and also a day in Sydney (turn around day between the 14 day and 29 day itineraries) perhaps we can catch up with Graham @gbenjo while we are there.

That’s a great itinerary, Lyle.  The main highway between Sydney and Melbourne is not overly scenic, apart from vast stretches of grazing and farmed rural land, which of course holds its own special beauty.  Most of the towns the road used to pass through are now bypassed, so I would recommend the longer, but incredibly scenic, coastal route.  It offers beautiful, captivating vistas.  You may have missed my previous post where I mentioned you and Lynn are most welcome to stay with us at our beach house in Batemans Bay, which you will pass on your way.  The offer still stands, but we realise you may prefer to be independent, in which case we can arrange to meet anyway, and more importantly, with Les, perhaps in Moruya where he’ll be by then, or at his favourite Chinese restaurant, Raymond’s, in Malua Bay, which is part if the wider Batemans Bay area.  

15 minutes ago, Austcruiser84 said:

Don’t take it as defensive at all. I believe you. Convinced as this is a 3 night cruise it has attracted a large non Cunard type of passenger. Hawaiian shirts (not the worst) and all on gala night. It wouldn’t wash on a regular voyage!

That’s really sad.  Yes, 3 nights may be a magnet for the wannabes.  Every culture has them.

14 minutes ago, Austcruiser84 said:

I am ashamed of my country today. It’s truly horrendous. I shall leave the worst for my review in the coming days but I am surprised that the ship’s crew didn’t discreetly speak to some of the offending Australians! 

Are you on P&O?😂

13 minutes ago, Austcruiser84 said:

I’m onboard presently and can only report what I see. A short cruise so perhaps it has attracted a different clientele. 

Perhaps, but on all the cruises we have enjoyed over approx twenty-five years, I can in all honesty attest to only courtesy and smart dressing.  I’m seriously not being defensive;  I would be the first to call out slips, but I’m referring here to many lines:  Silversea, Seabourn, Oceania, etc.  Our only cruise in Australian Waters was Cunard’s QE this year.  I reiterate:  impeccably behaved guests.

My daughter just sent a pic of yacht club after.  Not good.

11 minutes ago, Austcruiser84 said:

If you are sailing in Australia, a tee shirt, board shorts and rubber flip flops will suffice on gala night. Full review forthcoming! 😱 
 

If sailing out of anywhere else, do dress up as the rest of the world keeps it classy in my experience. 

As a well-travelled Australian, I can assure all that is incorrect.  Australian and the vast majority of passengers on our recent QE 3-week cruise around Australia and New Zealand dressed impeccably on gala evenings.  My DH always wears a dinner jacket, with a nod to the theme of the evening with a touch of colour in his pocket, and with a Venetian mask on masquerade evenings.  We were surrounded at dinner in QG by similarly attired gentlemen.

28 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

We had a group just before the function area behind the screen. Were you wearing a rainbow coloured sparkly top? I did see a couple come briefly but then you were gone.

Yep.  Twas us

6 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

We were up top, we meet in the area by the bar. Sorry we missed you.

We arrived just after 4, but there was nobody around the bar.  There was a birthday function in the normal drinks area, and reception said you would prob be outside downstairs.  Never mind.  It was an incredible storm alright.  We made a run for it when we could see  the rain was increasing apace.  We’re barely 5 mins away and we could barely see our driveway by the time we got home.  Hope your house missed it.