Hernextdoor

thank you very much for that helpful response. Cheers

I just logged on to check in for Ovation of the seas boarding in Sydney on Wed and the earliest available slot was 3pm! I was wxpecting to be able to board earlier. How strict are they about enforcing those times? Also for some reason I have been assigned 5.30 MDR dining, which is ridiculously early. What happens if I just rock up at, say 7pm? I am travelling solo.

I understand the arguments against inaugural cruises, BUT if you work in a commercial kitchen and call yourself a chef you should be able to serve a boiled egg - doesn't matter whether you are sailing out of Brisbane, Barcelona or Bombay!

I am not surprised. I did the inaugural cruise 10 days ago and I will never set foot on a Carnival ship again. The food was an absolute disgrace. Two hour wait in the restaurant for a meal which arrived cold. Everything was dry, overcooked and unappetising. The buffet was pathetic in terms of choice as well as quality. On my last day I lost it with the catering officer and chef. I took 2 boiled ages from the breakfast buffet and when I peeled them and cut them open te yolks were green with a thick black ring around them. It was obvious that at the end of service they put the leftover eggs back in the fridge and then pull them out the next day and reheat them. Goodness knows how many times those eggs had been recycled. Even if they offered me a suit for free I wouldn't touch it. Avoid at all costs.

I am going on a cruise next month, and will, of course follow whatever the rules are, without a fuss. It is a good thing I will be wearing a mask, as it will hide my amusement at the largely performative nature of the ritual. All that taking on and off merely transfers any pathogens from the mask to your hands - hands which then press lift buttons, use condiment dispensers at the buffet, etc. I was watching a You Tube video the other day of a woman who recently sailed out of Brisbane on a Princess ship - she wore her mask into the MDR, then took it off and placed it ON THE DINING TABLE! 🤮

I am not sure what you mean by this? Are you referring to the weather? March is generally a good time - heat of the summer has passed, early autumn weather. Of course it could still be overcast or rainy, but a greater chance of one of those sparkling clear days.

There doesn't seem to be much in the way of accommodation on that side of Anzac Bridge. Darling Harbour might be your best bet, and either taxi, or this mob https://shireshuttlebus.com.au/sydney-cruise-terminal-shuttle-bus/.

I can't advise on organised tours, but seriously, you don't need one. The ship docks at Circular Quay - disembark and you are smack in the most historic area of Sydney - the Rocks. I would suggest a walk around the historic Rocks area, which goes right under the Harbour Bridge, and then around to the Opera House. Then back to Circular Quay and catch a ferry. Don't waste your money on tourist ferries, just catch one to Watsons Bay and have fish and chips at Doyles on the pier - weather permitting. There is nothing - absolutely nothing - more spectacular than Sydney Harbour on a sunny day. Like a capricious god threw down handfuls of diamonds into an azure sea. Enjoy your visit.

Are you allowed to do that - replenish along the way. Everything I have read says you can only take wine onboard at embarkation, and anything you buy along the way will be impounded and returned at the end of the cruise?