Bizzybeez

On our first 9 day cruise we each purchased a lot of pina colada's. They were sooo good that we kept on ordering them! We were looking forward to doing the same on the cruise we just had but the prices had risen so much that we only bought 3 drinks in the 12 days we were on the ship. The rest of the time we just drank water. US$14 a drink is too expensive! Especially when we have to convert that price back to Aussie dollars!

I just got off a 12 night cruise on Radiance and we looked all over the Pullman beds for a sticker mentioning an age limit and couldn't find one. There was a sticker on both beds that said the max weight though. (I took a photo but haven't loaded all our photos onto my computer yet). Our room attendant asked our daughter if she wanted to sleep on a Pullman bed and she excitedly answered "yes!". Well that sealed the deal for her. She then told other staff she intended to sleep up there and not one of them said that she shouldn't. They all seemed happy for her to do so. We made sure the rail was up and I always checked on her a few times during the night and she was fine. We were still aware of the risks but decided it was minimal. There was a greater chance of her getting hurt during daytime activities than falling out of her bed and onto ours. We had a great cruise. I hope the OP did too.

How would they know who sleeps on which bed? If you are fine with your child on the Pullman just let them sleep there regardless of what they say. Am I missing something?

A bit risky if the ship encounters rough seas or a rogue wave in the middle of the night and the young child falls off the Pullman bed.

The first time we cruised with Royal Caribbean we had 2 children with us. Before we booked we researched what rooms would be suitable. We knew there were rooms that could accommodate 4 people (with 2 Pullman beds) and some rooms that had sofa beds. When we booked we told them the age of our daughter and asked if she could sleep on one of the pullmans. They said no, she's too young. We suspected she wouldn't be able to as there are usually restrictions on young children sleeping in upper bunk beds here on land. We decided that hubby would have to sleep on one of the pullmans. After the first night, we realised the beds were actually larger than our bed at home. There was enough room in the bed for the three of us. For the rest of the cruise, that's what we did. She slept in the bed with us. We plan on doing the same again on our upcoming cruise. Not sure if you're keen on doing this, but just thought I would mention it so you're aware that you have another option.

Nevermind, I found the article on the Vanuatu Daily Post website. ;) Very exciting! I can't wait to get over there and do what I can to support those beautiful people. Thanks for posting and letting us know.

Here is the link if anyone else is interested in reading the article: http://www.dailypost.vu/news/article_a918e3be-ddb7-51da-81c4-fb6c2563d634.html

Front page of today's paper confirms Radiance passengers will be disembarking on the 4th! Woohoo! See you all here :)

Which paper was that printed in, if you don't mind me asking? I hope it's true!! :)

There is a local tour bus that is usually on Isle of Pines waiting for cruise ship passengers who wish to see more of the island. I haven't personally done the tour, but I saw the bus while we were there and I know others who have and they enjoyed it. Our kids just wanted to swim and play on the beach, but I think we'll do the tour bus as well next time we go there.

Happy to see this because we plan on having our daughter sleep in between us as well. Was being on the "crack" of the two beds a problem?

No, not really. Our daughter didn't notice it at all and she was sleeping right on top of it. (She was only 3 though.)

Have fun, and make sure you wear sunscreen. You have more chance of getting sunburn than of getting injured by our wonderful wildlife.

On our last cruise, on Radiance of the Seas, our daughter was 3. Our cabin attendant told us she was not allowed to sleep on the pullman bed due to her age. I'm pretty sure there was also a sticker (or something silimar) on the bed stating the age limit. The first two nights, hubby slept on the pullman and my daughter slept in the big bed with me. The bed was so huge that we tried sleeping with her between us on the third night. We had plenty of room, so that's how we slept for the rest of the cruise. It gave us extra space to move around at night too as we didn't have to duck under the pullman every time we walked around that side of the bed / to the phone. They wouldn't have known if we had let her sleep in the pullman, but I wasn't going to risk it. If we had hit big seas during the night and she had rolled out, I would never be able to forgive myself if she was injured.

I had the same thing happen on Radiance of the Seas. My feet and ankles swelled up. I had just assumed it was all the extra salt that was in the food. I hadn't considered the drinks.

A quiet spot on a beautiful beach on a sunny day ... inside a heart drawn in the sand and decorated with shells, palm leaves and flowers ... Place a flower behind her ear and tell her how beautiful she is and how lucky you are to have found someone as wonderful as her ... Bend down on one knee and produce a ring and win her over with your words. How could she say no to such a romantic proposal!? Take her to a specialty restaurant for dinner on the cruise ship that evening... Celebrate with champagne.... Ask the staff to pipe some hearts with melted chocolate on her dessert plate as an extra touch... Ask the room attendant to make two towel swans that form a heart on your bed. Book her in for a spa treatment or massage. Treat her like a princess. It's all the extra thought and details that make it special and she'll be telling her friends and family for years to come about how romantic you were! Whatever you decide to do, good luck and I hope she says yes!

If you google Cultural Centre, Brisbane you will discover a wonderful cultural precinct with museums, art galleries, performing arts, etc. All this is walking distance to Southbank.

 

The Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) often has exhibitions which aren't shown elsewhere in Australia.

 

If you enjoy walking there are beautiful walks along the river, across the pedestrian bridge to the old Botanical Gardens.

Wonderful advice! I would suggest a day at Southbank and then a stroll over to the Museum and GOMA. The museum is free but there is a section inside called the Science Centre which has an entrance fee. If you have children they will love it! You can catch a Rivercat from Southbank as well. It's a great way to see the city. There are bridges from Southbank that you can walk over to get into the city or the old botanical gardens and there is a free loop bus that goes around the city too. Link: http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/traffic-transport/public-transport/buses/city-centre-free-loops

If you walk across the Victoria Bridge you'll end up at the top of the Queen Street Mall. (If you love shopping, this is the best place to head to).

If you want to swim, the large pool / lagoon at Southbank is free and has a lovely view of the city from the water. There is also a kiddies water playground where water spurts out of the ground. There are some great restaurants at Southbank also.

I hope that helps!

Hmmm.... I wonder what the original poster is going to do when he gets older? After working for most of his life and then retiring is he going to sit at home alone, not going anywhere? He won't be taking a holiday on a cruise ship, spending money, having fun and seeing the world that's for sure! What a sad, lonely life he has ahead of him.

I'm in my 30's but I admire the older generation for getting out there and enjoying life. They've worked darn hard and ought to be able to spoil themselves and have a great time! Party hard older peeps!

We cruised to the South Pacific last December and the weather was fantastic! It was a great time of year to cruise. If you decide to go, I would suggest you buy some cheap-ish goggles, snorkels and reef shoes. We were soooo glad we wore our reef shoes when we went to Lifou!