JJK2008

10 minutes ago, cruiser3775 said:

It's Gippsland, with two 'p's. Phillip Island is in south Gippsland.

OK I had it spelled wrong🤪. I'm old, I get confused, it happens😆. Thank You for the correction. So, Gippsland is a region of Victoria that Phillips Island is located in. Got it. We would have driven through Gippsland going to Phillips Island. Don't recall seeing anything that distinguished the area as Gippsland. Another posting on here said the Giant Earthworm exhibit has been closed for years. That explains why we didn't see any ads for it.  

16 hours ago, yarramar said:

The earthworm display was closed down years ago. It is now just a big empty shed.

Hmmm, that could explain why we didn't see any ads for the attraction.

1 hour ago, FeebeeH said:

Not necessarily all snakes in the wild in Australia are venomous.  I back onto bush about 40 mins North of Sydney.   We often get diamond pythons in our trees.  Our poor featherless lorikeet has had several assassination attempts on his life (at least 7).  They've all been thwarted by my husband who catches them & releases them about 8 houses up the road onto Crown land.  Being a python they kill their prey by constriction.  On the other hand I'm not fond if the red bellies or browns which are venomous that also occasionally visit. 

Not a fan of snakes of any kind. We have more than our share here in Florida as well. We always have to be careful when opening a door to outside as there could be one on the porch. We've had it happen a few times when you open the door and SURPRISE - there will be a snake right there. Even around the house, we have to be careful where you reach. NEVER just stick your hand near a bush to pick something up. Until living in Florida I never knew snakes were such good climbers. They will climb the trees in search of bird's chicks/eggs. Something I learned from living here.   

9 hours ago, possum52 said:

As you went to Phillip Island, you drove through southwest Gippsland John. Or did you go to Phillip Island on a cruise?

OK, now you got me looking again. We stayed in Melbourne for 5 days and drove to Phillips Island from Melbourne not on a cruise. I looked at the map again and don't see Gibbsland at all between Melbourne and Phillips Island, which is south, southeast of Melbourne. The only mention I see of Gibbsland is Gibbsland Lakes Coastal Park, which is very far east of Melbourne. We didn't go anywhere near that area. So where is the Gibbsland near Melbourne??? 

2 hours ago, lyndarra said:

Bin chicken aka ibis.

We have them in Florida as well......

17 minutes ago, Ozwoody said:

John you and Nancy have put a lot of us to shame, you have covered an amazing amount of Australia, more than a lot of us has.

 

Yes Philip Island penguins are a special treat, watching them come in one or two at a time and gradually increasing until large numbers come scampering through to very noisy hungry chicks waiting in their burrows.

 

Did you by chance see the giant earthworm display in Gippsland on the way to Philip Island?

They are the largest earthworms in the world at about 2 metres (6 Ft) long and about 25mm (1 inch) thick, native to that area.

 

Thanks again for your posts they have been wonderful.

 

Regards

 

 

Thank You for the kind words, but Please don't look upon our trip with shame. Look at it as inspiration to do more. There is plenty in the USA we have not done or seen. That constantly gives us something to look forward to. We and hopefully you as well are very blessed and living a charmed life. There are many people that we know personally, and I'll speculate people you know personally as well, that will never be able to what we are doing every day for a variety of reasons, health, financial, family and more. Enjoy each day, we don't get a do over.

We did not see the earthworms. Didn't remember seeing anything about them. I checked the map and see that Gibbsland was east of Melbourne. We flew to Melbourne and then travelled west eventually ending in Adelaide. So, we never passed Gibbsland. Nancy is pretty good at checking out every nook and cranny of a trip. So, it would have been unusual for her to have missed something like that. Oh well, another reason to come back to Oz😄. The reasons to return seem to keep piling up!!! All Good. All of us on here love to cruise, so who knows, perhaps some of us will end up on a cruise at the same time. It could happen. Stay Safe.

John  

On 12/8/2023 at 12:01 AM, lyndarra said:

If you return perhaps you may explore Western Australia, it's an amazing state, one million square kilometres bigger than Alaska - and a lot warmer. 🥵🌶️

https://iview.abc.net.au/show/bill-bailey-s-wild-west-australia

 

 

Perth and western Australia are certainly on list for our next trip to Oz. Not surprising, most of the Aussies we met had never been to Perth or western Australia. Like in the USA, Australia is a BIG country. Many people we know who grew up on the east coast of the USA have never been to California. Even myself, I was probably in my 30's before I had travelled to the west coast of the US. On the cruise we did to New Zealand we met a number of folks from Perth. Would also like to get to Darwin area and Tasmania. Hope we can make all of this a reality. Thank You for the link. A+++++++

14 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

Did you see a real cassowary on your Travels?  We have scrub turkeys in the city.  They make huge nests and don't care if they are in the middle of a busy road.  It is nothing to see my elderly neighbour clapping her hands encouraging the scrub turkey to continue on his way.  I was lucky to see a cassowary and baby crossing the road in Mission Beach.  Another time I saw a family of emus crossing a major road and climbing under a fence and continuing on their way.  Did you see any Brolgas in your travels?  We came across a dancing pair south of Yeppoon.  Seeing animals in the wild is a magical experience.  I saw my last koala in the wild at Magnetic Island off Townsville. However I know there are Koalas in the bush near here.  Locals put posts against the high fences so koalas can escape up the post if a dog appears.  

We did not see any Cassowaries, just the scrub turkeys that we assumed were Cassowaries🙃. Brolgas??? Had to look that up. Those are Australian Cranes. We may have seen some of those. We did see LOTS of wildlife during our trip. Plenty of Kangaroos, Wallabies, Emus, Koalas, Flying Foxes (Giant Bats) and even a slithering snake that my DW nearly stepped on. Was it a venomous one??? Don't know. Along the Great Ocean Road there was a nature preserve that we stopped at. Loads of Koalas, Emus and a whole bunch of different birds. The Flying Foxes were a kick. I knew about them before took the trip. First night we were in Port Douglas walking back from dinner it was early evening and I saw a couple of the Bats flying. Now mind you the bats we have in Florida are small and fly VERY erratically. The Flying Foxes are HUGE and fly more like an osprey. I'm guessing many who are not familiar with them, see them and don't pay close attention to the wings, so don't realize what they are. I had pointed one out to my DW and remarked that those were the Giant Bats I had told her about. She glanced up but her reaction was almost non-existent. I think she believed it was total BS on my part. It only took a few minutes when one flew right over her head, wings spread and the very distinct BAT WINGS visible. Her reaction was "Holy ***** Batman"!!!!!! Seriously, she REALLY said that. Then her camera came out and she was on a quest to get pictures. Across the street from our hotel was a large grove of trees. There was a dozen, perhaps more of these Bats flying around and landing in the trees. They were very noisy which surprised me. We also saw the assortment of seals along the Great Ocean Road. The blue penguins on Phillips Island. THAT was an excellent stop. Would highly recommend that to other tourists. There are a couple of ticket options for the penguin parade. The penguin plus ticket is more expensive, but you get right up close. We bought these tickets and arrived VERY early. They start letting people into the viewing stands about 5:00. We were first in the line and as such, we were able to get front row seats. The penguins didn't show up until about 8:15. So yes, other than trips to the restrooms, we sat in the stands. But we had researched this beforehand, so we were prepared. Brought water and snacks and dressed accordingly. You are right on the beach at the Southern Ocean. The wind is on the brisk side coming right off the water and it's cold, at least in November. We brought a blanket to sit on and an extra blanket to wrap around us (we bought the blankets at a thrift store for a few dollars - just left them in the hotel when we left). There is so much more to this trip. It truly for us was an experience of a lifetime. The trip far exceeded what we had hoped for. Hope to get back to Oz and see more. Hopefully others can do something similar and experience what we have. Like us, I think many on here are older in years and NOT getting any younger. As long as our health holds out, we're trying to experience as much as we are able. So far, we've been able to do just that. Travelling is sort of our "vice" it is what we like to do. God willing we'll be able to continue. We've had GREAT experiences and met some wonderful people from all over the world, many who have become good friends. For us, that that experience is priceless. Wishing all on CC a Merry Christmas and a healthy and Happy New Year upcoming. 

Cheers all,

John & Nancy

This should get a chuckle out of the Aussies here. My DW and I just returned from our first trip to Oz. We were gone for 8 weeks in total with 6 of those in Oz and 2 weeks on a New Zealand cruise. Anyway, early on in our trip we were in Kuranda doing the tourist thing and having a wonderful day. On a little back road through the forest, we saw a sign for wildlife crossing. The sign had a picture of a bird that to us looked like an ostrich. The sign said Cassowary crossing. OK as Americans we had never heard of a Cassowary or what they were. So, a little while later were driving still on this back road and up ahead we see an animal in the road that looks like and is about the size of a chicken. So, we figure that must be a Cassowary. We stopped the car, got out and my DW started snapping pictures. The bird immediately comes toward us and literally came right up to us. Obviously not afraid of humans, probably been fed many times. So, we finish taking pictures and go on our way. A bit later we had stopped an info center. My DW is chatting with the lady there and pulls out her phone, shows the lady the picture of the bird we saw and asks if this is a Cassowary. The lady smiles, sheepishly laughs and says, "No that's a scrub turkey." "Turn around...THAT'S a Cassowary." There in the info center was a life-size statue of a Cassowary. We were then informed that Cassowaries can be very aggressive and NOT to get out of car if we encounter one. Who knew a Cassowary was a big, blue bird that looks NOTHING like a scrub turkey??? Just another funny experience in Oz.

Hope this gives you a laugh for the day....................

17 hours ago, Ozwoody said:

 

Bloody Hell, don't know who planned your trip, but they did a dam great job of it John.

You packed in an amazing itinerary, and covered some wonderful destinations in the time you were here. Put some of us who live here to shame.

Well done, truly hope you can do another trip, and health and weather treat you equally well.

 

Regards

 

We get asked that a lot who we use to plan our trips. Actually, we planned the whole trip ourselves. We've done similar trips to Europe, Canada and in the USA a few times. Yes, it's a lot or work but NOT difficult work. With the internet and numerous sites including CC, plenty of info available. Just have to look for it and be willing to ask questions. The CC forums are a wealth of info. Loads of folk willing to help with advice and info. But like all things on the internet you must Verify, Verify, Verify any info yourself. There are many well-meaning folks who put stuff out on the internet (some here on CC) that isn't always the most accurate information. When I post something on here, I always try to leave it with the caveat to Verify the information yourself. Don't just take my word for it. I may have read something wrong or missed something or misinterpreted something. So, Verify for yourself. We enjoy doing the planning ourselves and it is amazing how much you learn before you even go on the trip. Now back home, were going through the process of downloading our photos and videos. Great memories for a lifetime. Looking forward to what is next, whatever it is. 

Have a Great Christmas upcoming and a Healthy and happy New Year  

10 hours ago, Ozwoody said:

Exactly 😂

 

But would like to hear of some of what you did on your trip, where did you visit and what you did there.

 

We had planned to take this trip pre-covid. But of course, that went down the drain. So, we resurrected it this year. This is a recap. LOTS of details in-between. Started in Sydney for 5 days. Did Manley and Bondi. Open house tour at the Opera House. Saw Wicked at the Lyric Theater. Day tour to Hunter Valley - 3 wineries and a distillery (Great Day). HoHo bus tour of Sydney. Chinese Gardens. Tower Eye. Flew to Gold Coast. Stayed in Surfers Paradise (we have friends there). Friends gave us the tour. Home of the Arts Gallery. Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. Gold Coast 500 (our friend was very involved in the racing circuit...got up close and personal). Tamborine Mountain (Great little town). Drove to Sunshine Coast. Stayed in Mooloolaba (we have friends here too - friends from Gold Coast came along as well - as we all know each other from the European river cruise). Fantastic lunch at the Boat Shed in Cotton Tree. Wonderful beach day. Great dinner and drinks at the Surf Club. Grand tour of the coast and area (our friends were Great tour guides). Drove to Brisbane. Spent time walking to see as much as we could. Next day flew to Cairns. Touring the city. Did Kuranda railway, town. Drove to Port Douglas with stops along the way. Great Ocean Reef tour. Drove to Daintree National Park. Yes, we took the car ferry across the river. Made our way back to Cairns and flew to Sydney. Boarded our ship for 2-week cruise around New Zealand (north and south islands). Back to Sydney after the cruise. Flew to Melbourne. Spent 5 days here. City tours. Started drive to Adelaide. Great Ocean Road (many stops). Phillips Island penguins. Port Jervis. Kangaroo Island. Adelaide. Hahndorf. Finally, back to Sydney and flights home. The trip of a lifetime for us. Don't know if we'll ever repeat it, but we're inclined to give it a try as long as our health holds out. Of course, the whole trip went off like clockwork. We had NO ISSUES. Even the weather was near perfect the entire time. THAT makes a big difference. If we had bad weather or other more serious issues, the trip would not have been as enjoyable. But all of those are unpredictable and uncontrollable. We were fortunate. We only scratched the surface on this trip. Would really like to get to see Perth. On the cruise, we met a number of Aussies from Perth. Looking forward to our return - God willing. Stay Safe & Health.

Cheers,

John              

1 hour ago, Ozwoody said:

So glad you had such a great experience in your visit down here.

Having visited both Canada & the USA, I found the people up there extremely friendly and very willing to help visitors there as well.

 

There was one slight error in your post, Australians are definitely not Canadians with a slightly different accent, actually its the Canadians that are Australians with a slightly different accent.😁

I stand corrected. Kind of like the same thing only different😆.

Well, we made back home to Florida, USA after being away for about 8 weeks. Our trip to Australia and 2-week cruise around New Zealand far exceeded what we had hoped for. We were very fortunate; our weather was about as close to perfect as it could be for the entire trip. God willing this will not be our one and only visit. Your countries are spectacular!!! We did a lot but barely scratched the surface. So much more to see and do. Before this trip, my limited exposure to Aussies came from a river cruise in Europe pre-covid years. The Aussies on that cruise didn't know each other at the time as they came from different places along the east coast. Yes, we did get to visit with all of them. We all hit it off really well and became good friends quickly. I've written before that in my limited experience, Aussies were Canadians with a slightly different accent. After this trip I am convinced 10-fold that Aussies are Canadians with a slightly different accent. That is the greatest of compliments as we have more Canadian friends than we have American friends, and we LOVE our Canadian friends. We live in a retirement community in Florida with a sister community next door. In total there are about 1800 homes between both communities. At least 1/4 of those homes are owned by Canadian "snowbirds" who spend their winters here rather than in the tundra.

We found the people of Australia to be very friendly, helpful and inviting. Our Princess cruise was a majority Aussies as well. I'm pleased to report that we now have a whole new bunch of Aussie friends. More folks to visit on our next trip. All the more reason to go back. I didn't know what a meat pie was until reading about them here. In the USA we have Shepards pie and Cottage pies which are Irish and English respectively. They are on the same idea as meat pies, but certainly NOT the same. I have now experienced meat pies and have become quite fond. I will tell you the Kiwis are more than willing to make the claim that their meat pies are better than any you can get in Oz. I did have meat pies in both places and found them excellent in each place. So, I'll say it's a matter of taste. Can't say I developed a taste for Vegemite. I assume it's an acquired taste. In conclusion, my experience with Australia and New Zealand was off the charts. We're already looking to plan a return visit. To the Aussies and Kiwis, don't take what you have for granted. Your countries are magnificent. Your people and way of life are an envy. Being "down under" and island countries separates you to a degree from a lot of the world's ills. You're so lucky. Enjoy what you have. It is truly special. 

Cheers,

John           

Disney Wonder is leaving Sydney OPT as I write this.

5 hours ago, cachouonacruise said:

I am not sure, this would correctly match the intent.

 

From what I understand, Australians and New-Zealanders' jobs are well paying. Therefore, they don't need any additional incentive to do a good job. 
 

I feel it is my job, as a visitor in Australia and New-Zealand to respect their curlture.

 

However, people from New-Zealand and Australia, like any other well intended traveller, need to adapt to other countries' cultures, when they are abroad.

 

For example, in America, and Canada, a number of jobs are paid lower wages, based on the existing tipping culture. 
 

And although our Celebrity cruise ship will be travelling only in Australia and New-Zealand, the pay structure aboard the ship is based on the American culture, taking into account that Celebrity is an American company. 
 

So, removing gratuities/not tipping on an American cruise ship, in my opinion, would not adequately match the culture aboard the ship. ( Unless, you booked a high end cruise, where tips are specifically unaccepted).

It seems that just on this thread, you have asked and receive the answers to the tipping questions a few times. It also appears that you are not happy with the answers of "NO TIPPING" policy in Australian and New Zealand. Let your conscious be your guide.   

7 hours ago, Yakov51 said:

How do Australian residents feel about automatic gratuities in accounts on board international ships sailing in Australia?

You always have the option to refuse the automatic gratuities. Go to the purser's desk first day on-board and just tell them you don't want automatic gratuities. Your choice.

2 hours ago, davide2002 said:

Good day everyone and what a wonderful community here.  Here's my situation.  I'm planning a family reunion cruise for July or August of 2025.  I have it narrowed down to 2 departure ports which are Rome and Barcelona as the itinerary is nearly identical.  I'm trying to make it fair since the family members are concentrated in Canada and the Middle East  and a Mediterranean cruise semsfair for both.  We are all of Italian heritage so hitting Rome and Napoli is a bonus as that opens opportunities for our Italian relatives to potentially meet us for the day in Rome or Napoli.  

A few tips would be appreciated.   In terms of making things as simplifiedas possible, is Rome and Barcelona equal for getting to ports etc? I read Barcelona is the closest to any port in Europe but should this be a deciding factor when rolling out our options? I'm the sole planner so I just want to present this properly.   Thanks for your time, appreciate all feedback.  

I think it would depend on what if anything you plan to do before or after the cruise. Barcelona is more centrally located for the port. The port in Rome is not actually in Rome. It is in Civitaveccia which is about 1 1/2 hours north of Rome. This is a very quaint little Italian community. There is a wonderful hotel there called the San Giorgio that is only a short distance to the port, and they offer a free shuttle for hotel guests. The hotel is across the street from the Mediterranean Sea. Just spectacular views. Barcelona is a great city to explore, but I think Rome hands down has it beat. But that's just MHO. The City of Rome is literally a museum. Spend a week in Rome either before or after your cruise. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Best of luck with your planning.        

12 hours ago, ALD18 said:

Historically we have always did all of the legwork and booked our travels directly with the providers.  We enjoy doing it this way and its part of the adventure.  With all of the current bureaucratic changes (Egypt/India/Brazil and apparently more to come visas, upcoming ETIAS, closure of Norwegian Fjords) we are seriously thinking of starting to use a travel agent to help us avoid or assist in the underlying pitfalls we may miss in the details.  We would like to still do all of the research and basically drop where/when/who we want to go with on an agents desk and have them book it all.  Then utilize their knowledge to insure we don't miss any of the details such as above before we go.  I recently stopped by a local travel agent and they were move than willing to assist in such a fashion, but also added they charge an additional $113 per person, per booking to do so.  I found that rather odd.  So putting out my feelers to see what others do.  Do you use local agents, would me nice for face to face discussions?  Online or US based agents, seems to be high turnover personnel wise?  Or do rely on the providers booking/service agents to provide you with the details?  Understand you cannot name names or discuss details about actual travel agents on this forum, but just getting a feel on how you prefer to do it.  Thanks🙂

To use a TA or not is of course your choice. Keep in mind (many don't realize this) that if you use a TA, then the TA is the customer of the airline, CruiseLine, et., al. You are a third party. If something goes wrong or needs attention, and you booked with a TA, you MUST go through the TA to resolve the issue, since the TA is the customer, NOT you. We experienced this first-hand many years ago. Since that time, we make and booked all of our own travel arrangements. Yes, we may be losing out on some perks, but should an issue arise (which they often do) we like to be able to contact the CruiseLine, airline or whatever and resolve it ourselves. Again, it is your choice but for us, having control of the matter works of us. Good Luck.  

On 5/15/2023 at 7:31 AM, PerfectlyPerth said:

And again. Read all previous posts. Please. 
 

- nothing

- nothing 

- nothing

 

There are NO tipping expectations in Australia. For any occupation. 
None. Zip. Nada. 
 

They are all well paid jobs. Unlike the US there is no requirement for staff here to beg for a living from tourists. 

THANK YOU for posting the way you did. This topic comes up a good deal. As an American, it absolutely FROSTS me why some Americans can't just get it through their heads that Australia is a NO TIPPING POLICY country!!! Far too many Americans (some here in CC) will continue to push the issue even after asking the question and receiving the answer. I've read posts here where the American will ask about tipping and will be advised not to do so but the American will not accept this and openly say they will tip anyway because they "know it's the right thing to do" As an American I am embarrassed by these arrogant fellow countrymen. Thank You again for posting the advice on tipping.     

48 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

It was a tiny little frozen thing, the one they used on the wet coast at HMCS Quadra was fresh and it had big teeth. I cut my lip on one those snaggle teeth, then the shot of Screech (a certain rum of dubious quality) was a new experience in pain, both from the open wound and Screech itself. 😟

Now were you able to recite your lines from memory or did you need cue cards??? Actually, I didn't find the Screech as bad as it was claimed to be. We were given Honorary Newfie certificates that we still have to this day. Once a Newfie, always a Newfie. Enjoy.

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

I found a "screech in" now I can make it official. 

Nothing quite like kissing a Cod😆.....Safe Travels.....

2 hours ago, Britni.Pepper said:

Thank you, John. Just browsing through the site gives a lot of information, often contradictory. I see reports from two different passengers on the same cruise with vastly different experiences, for example!

 

All told, lots of super information and resources. 
 

I’m very interested to see what the final programme looks like. I think that this will be a great bargain. Often a writer's festival weekend in some soulless convention hotel can run to hundreds, even thousands, of dollars. This cruise will be a festival with an ocean view and the chance of being drowned, to quote Dr Johnson. 
 

Famous authors are always great to hear and I’ve done my share of fangirling to stars like Alexander McCall Smith and Daniel Silva but sometimes the nuts and bolts of writing and publishing are what really matters. Pretty much every reader I’ve ever met is full of stories of their own, just looking for ways of telling them. 
 

As for Melbourne, art galleries (both official and street art), fairy penguins, The World's Happiest Tram Driver, great food and drink. The laneway Bistros in the central city are extraordinary. I wrote a story about the world's best coffee recently. In my own travels, very few places compare for coffee with Melbourne. 
 

Britni

It didn't take long to get replies in this thread as I expected. As with ANY conversation there will be differences of opinion. Hence the contradictions you encountered. That is to be expected. People understand things differently, view thing differently, etc. If the conversation or postings involves anything of importance (schedules, prices, medical, etc.) I advise to Verify, Verify, Verify. Folks can be "well intentioned" but may in fact be incorrect or inaccurate. Often times through misinterpretation or not having the complete information. But overall, the folks posting on CC are the BEST. Who knows, you may even get some more CC folks to sign-up for the Literary Cruise. Looks like some interest already. Thanks for the tidbits in Melbourne. Our plan is to fly into Melbourne after our cruise and spend a several days. Then get a rental car and do the Great Ocean Road and finish in Adelaide. Thanks again. I look forward to following along with your postings and the responses you get. 

John

1 hour ago, Britni.Pepper said:

I'm new to Cruise Critic, so be gentle with me. I have just this moment discovered the Australian Literature Festival at Sea taking place aboard a short cruise on the Queen Elizabeth out of Sydney in December 2024.

I'll be there. 

And what do I wear after four years of working from home?

Hey Britni, WELCOME to CC. This site can be a bit overwhelming. There are numerous threads to explore with lot of colorful tales and information to enjoy. Because of the voluminous amount of info on this site, I'd suggest being patient and persistent. When you find a thread that you like you can click the "follow" button and get notifications anytime a new post to that thread is written. We have an Oz/Kiwi cruise coming up in November. This will be my first time "Down Under" and as such of course I turned to CC for advice and info. My experience with the folks on here has been priceless. When it comes to travel, I have found CC to be invaluable. Loads of experienced folks from all over the world more than willing to share their experience and knowledge. Just ask and they will respond. We have met many "friends" here on CC over the years, some in person, some just CC friends. In fact, in addition to our upcoming cruise we are spending time in Oz visiting friends along the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast that we had met on CC and then travelled together on a River Cruise in Europe. That was pre-covid so it's been a few years since we've seen each other. Really looking forward to seeing them again. One thread in particular you may enjoy is the Australian and New Zealand Cruisers thread that provides a wealth of information from your fellow Aussies and Kiwis. This thread might be the perfect forum to ask about the Australian Literature Festival. Anyway, welcome to CC, I hope it proves to be as beneficial as it has been to us. I may seek suggestions from you on Melbourne as that is also on our travel plans😊. Stay Safe & Healthy.

John  

3 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

So it's so close now, We fly out to Boston tomorrow. I started an "Observations" thread on the HAL board. If you're interested I'll be posting there from time to time. We may book the cruise section of our down under adventure while on this cruise, it all depends on whether HAL seems a good fit for us.

Wakey wakey is 0300 tomorrow (for us) 21 Aug 2023, it's going to be a long day.

Safe Travels......

10 minutes ago, JJK2008 said:

Thank You, will do.

Sorry I didn't notice the Victoria, BC at first. Beautiful city, we were there pre-covid. Took the ferry across from Port Angeles. Coincidently it was Deuce Days. Perfect timing on our part.