NoWhiners

Thanks for this very complete and useful answer. Love that Princess has self-serve laundry, especially when on longer cruises.

Oh nooo, the pressure, the expectations, the suspense, what will happen 😲😁 I'll go check but I hope that the Swans are favored.

That's interesting. I wondered if it's just a US thing; I have friends who are crazy about it. Good description of it too.

Wow, that laundry room looks nicer than the others I've used on Princess. I'm sure all the decks are the same, but what deck are you on? It looks like most of the machines are the combo washer/dryer units you see in apartments. Is that true? And, all the way to the left in you pic, it looks like 2 normal sized dryers?? I know it will sound weird but DH loves to do laundry when we cruise (it's odd but works for me 😁. Maybe because he does most of the laundry at home and helps him feel more comfortable??). Just trying to gather more data for him--he loves data and analysis.

When I posted that question, I was considering suggesting that Netball was the most popular sport. Then Mic noted the important point about playing vs watching. If I had made a guess, I would have said Netball was up there in both categories. Hard for us to know over here, I don't think we even play netball here. Although I think it would be a hit if we did. On a separate but somewhat related note, do lots of people play pickleball down under? It's very popular here, especially with older folks (and on cruise ships).

Or just a headphone jack, like most TVs have.

Ah yes, he did very well on the voice acting. Good point, I had forgotten. That was one of his funny times!

Yeah, sometimes he's pretty funny but he's a bit over the top for me most of the time. I wouldn't pay to see him either. He didn't even do a good job of acting when Will Smith slapped him at the Oscars!

Ah, that explains it. You guys down under like Chris Rock??

I'm shocked he knows anything about the AFL. At least he backed the Swans! Yep, I thought they missed some easy ones; glad someone who knows more about the game thinks so too. Let's hope they work on this before the playoffs. Go Swans! I watched most of the game, fell asleep and missed most of the 4thQ. Woke up in time to see the game end and the Swans win. All that worrying for no reason. Go Swans!

That about sizes it up. Go Swans!

Thanks for the tip Mic. I checked, and in a minor miracle, the game will be on TV here--at 11 pm (well, 11:20)! That's early enough that I can probably watch it all. That gives me all day to nervously await the BIG game 😁 Go Swans! (please)

Oh, cricket, I forgot about that one. Sort of confusing for me! I wondered if b'ball was popular. Good point to differentiate between most played and most watched; I meant the latter. So, maybe AFL doesn't have the saturation needed to expand at this time?

Interesting perspective Leigh. Here's a question--which is the most popular pro sport in Australia? Rugby, football (what we call soccer), AFL, golf, etc?? Maybe that is part of the determination?

That all seems to argue against a team relocating to Tassie. Not surprised money is part of the calculation but a little surprised teams don't make local TV arrangements. Is that against AFL rules? I guess we don't have to take up that collection...😉

Is there a limit to the number of teams? Good way to protect the product but Tasmania having it's own team seems like a good idea. Maybe relocating one would work--wouldn't the fans be angry?

I think they deserve a team of their own. Anyone want to chip in and start one? PS: I have no idea how teams are formed in the AFL, but still...

Hmm, I was off a bit on number of teams! Thanks, that explains a lot.

Well, I guess it makes sense if it's the biggest stadium but wouldn't it be long trip for say, the West Coast Bulldogs fans? Although, looking at a map of Australia, Victoria has at least 4 teams (??), NSW has 3 (?), is there a team in the NT (which seems far)?, so maybe most teams are located relatively close. Sorry I'm not more familiar with where all the cities are in the AFL but Australia is a big place, so the trip could be long and expensive. If they rotated the GF, wouldn't that give fans the chance to attend at somewhat lower cost? If I use the Super Bowl here as an example, it moves around and it would be a lot easier for me to get to Phoenix than LA or Miami. It seems to be working but I'm surprised that owners and TV and all the other entities that make money accept this.

Interesting piece. Shouldn't they rotate the GF around the country? Seems unfair to always have it at the same place, makes it hard for non-local fans to attend.

This MCG thing is interesting. Can anyone shed any light on why this agreement came to exist? Was there some feeling that Melbourne was being treated unfairly? Did they build a new stadium and wanted to know it would be used? Inquiring Americans want to know 🙂 Go Swans!

Then I am going to start sacrificing things to the footy gods that the Swans take 2nd!! I wonder what they'd like??? 🤔 Go Swans!

I'm not Ken but lack of formal clothes shouldn't be an issue. DH wears a long sleeve shirt, sometimes but not always a tie, and khaki's or darker pants (like Dockers). Never had a problem. We did BI on Royal a few years ago, loved it.

I missed a lot last night!! Glad the Swans won, too bad they couldn't have stayed 50 points ahead. This would have been a good time to work on their focus, as they near the playoffs. I would love to see them keep 4th. And 2nd, well, that would be truly grand! Go Swans!

Did you miss this part: For calls originating outside of the US and Canada, the following numbers should be used, preceded by your country's International Direct Dialing (IDD) code and the global ocean code 870. Please contact your long distance service provider for pricing. For example, if you would like to call the Diamond Princess in the Pacific Ocean from the United States, dial 011 870 773 933 441. Looks like Emerald Princess is Emerald Princess 773 258 548 so, 011-870 773-258 548. 011 is the US IDD code.