udivegirl

Perfect! Thank you all so much!

Does anyone have a recommendation for a hotel for 1 night stay after disembarking in Brisbane? We would like to be able to walk to restaurants and a little sightseeing. I did a search on the forum and didn't really get any answers other than 1 near the airport. It doesn't have to be near the airport but not too far either. Preferably middle-of-the-road pricing. Thank you so much!

Thank you all!

Hello, My best friend and I will be cruising out of Brisbane in November. Our first time to AUS. We are wondering which port to do the GBR snorkel excursion, Port Douglas or Cairns? Does anyone know the difference between the two tours? Do they use the same platform? If not, is the reef healthier at one location versus the other? Which one has more fish life? Do they both feed the fish (which I hate)? Hoping to see clown fish 🙂 We are experienced snorkelers and one of us scuba dives. The less people the better, although I imagine they will both be pretty busy. Thank you for any info you can share.

Completely agree, Bowlinmoe! You are not the only one who noticed this. The first time on the Joy was so disappointing because of it. The biggest issue we had was whenever we went to the shore excursion desk or Guest Services, we couldn't hear the people at the desk. It was so loud. They got so frustrated, as did we. And there were so many people standing around, it was hard to get to Guest Services. Same thing on the Encore (which we really liked except for the Atrium). I think holding some of the less busy activities there works fine, but with the more popular ones it's such a zoo. We will just avoid the atrium altogether if we ever sail on that class again or stick to the Jewel class. It sounds like the Prima/Viva may have eliminated the atrium annoyance with a better design. We have a trip booked on it, so we will see. Sail on! 😄

We have stayed in it. It is our favorite Haven room by far. You will love it! The balconies are so nice!! I can't think of any cons at all.

We liked it a lot. The ribs fell off the bone. The chicken was also super tender. We had the platter. There was so much food, we could only eat a fraction of it. I was disappointed in the cornbread. I don't like jalapeno in my cornbread. Also did not like the beans. But we couldn't eat much of the sides because we were too full. The desserts were delish!!

We have never had to pay the difference on our winning bids.

Ditto!

Also, YouTube has great videos on packing with and without cubes. You can decide for yourself. They challenge people to pack as many items into their bags without using cubes vs. with cubes. Those who have never tried it, have no clue.

The were a game changer for me. They keep things organized, you can cram more in, and nothing will fall out if TSA inspects your bags. You're actually able to pack more just from the organization and compression. Samantha Brown's packing cubes are my favorite. The walls of the cubes are sturdy enough to stand upright when empty. (Flimsy ones are a pain to pack.) They are also great quality, have good zippers, and also have handles. They have a see-through plastic top so you can see what's in them and contents will be protected from liquids. A lot of the ones I've purchased on Amazon are too flimsy.