buchhalm

Newcastle wins over Brisbane any day. Mooloolaba is pretty cool too. Nice hinterland villages, and the beaches around the loo-with-a-view (as I have heard Mooloolaba being called) arent half bad either.

A thermos of tea and sleeping bags?

Just don't go to South Australia. The lights (and power) tends to be out very often.

19.00 Departing Sydney

The Kiwis are celebrating that Aussies are coming to NZL

Counting the weeks to January for our cruise..

ELIZABETH, of course. 🙂 Freudian slip, as we usually sail on the Victoria

7 pm. Leaving us for a few days...

18.45 on 15.11. They are starting to push out Cunard's Queen Victoria

Still there

I am always jealous of people who can plan so far ahead. I don't know what I'm doing next MONTH, let alone next year. 🙂

Agree. 👍🏻

On time today, 14. November

It's the same really, isn't it. The passenger pays the gratuity. PRE-pay, in this case. No further tipping is necessary. (But a nice thing to do nevertheless)

I'd say for cruises EX Australia, tipping in AUD is quite ok. But I agree AUD 5 may be a bit much. I'd go to a bank or money change place and try to get a stack of USD 1.00 notes . However, I'm pretty sure that your cruise line is charging you a certain amount per day in "gratuity/tips/service charge" anyway. Your room service waiter should be getting parts of this from the general tipping pool.

Well, it pays to research the style of the cruise line you book, doesn't it?

Meh. Nobody does formal nights like Cunard.

Anchored in Sydney harbour on a sunny day.

1 pm. Lots of highly confused old people wandering around Circular Quay. Already waiting to board.

Well, people who happen to be allocated window seats are unlikely to give them up and keep them for going and coming back.

"Trust is good. Control is better" I always take photos of rental car dash displays and body. IN FRONT OF THE STAFF, when returning a car (And trying to get their staff member on the photo as well). And DOUBLE SO at small rental car shops where they put a "security deposit" on your CC (I hope that's not old age paranoia starting)

That makes it even LESS attractive

Relax, Dear. That was tongue in cheek!