Over from NZ

Interesting. ANZ Platinum card insurance clients in NZ have always got a rough deal compared to our Australian counterparts even though ANZ Australia owns ANZ NZ.. and ours is 90-days (although you can apply at their discretion for an extension up to 180 days). I've never trusted the free insurance and have always booked my own.. but as you say - if you were relying on the free card insurance and doing a world trip.. you better look elsewhere for cover.

We had 4-nights here last June and it was excellent - https://www.ikcollection.com/palazzoconsiglia/ It's right in the heart of Valetta. We just got a taxi from the airport to the Hotel. It's cheap and easy. Was very easy to just get one at the airport once we got off the plane. Malta is a cool wee place. Loved it there!

It'll cost you a lot more than $49 a visit! 🙂

Yep. When you're done.. you just go up to the counter and pay on your way out. 🙂

Well summed up.

Some greqt pics and commentary! Definately not the Tram at the top of the hill though lol! There's a gondola that goes up the hill though. The Tram is in the centre of the city 🙂

Our last cruise.. it was an extra $5k for a balcony. We couldn't justify it. We've had balconies in the past and never got the use from them. I don't like being cooped up.. so a balcony is wasted on me. I don't go on holiday to stay in my room. Particularly when we have itineraries with port days almost every day. That said.. we've got a balcony room later this year on a Pacific cruise because it wasn't much dearer and we might spend possibly a few hours in it maybe.

Sadly, traditional dining got the heave-ho. Part of the casualisation of the dining experience which includes the dress code as well. Oh well, is what it is. It's now less of an occasion.. but the food is still alright 🙂

You're splitting hairs. When those ships are home-ported down under for much of the year.. there is no smoking inside whatsoever. The casinos are 100% smokefree.

Yes there are! Any ships sailing out of Australian and NZ ports for a start are non-smoking indoors.

They're all going to give you the same useless odds. That's a given. Other than that.. it depends on what your idea of "best casino" is? Smoke-free as said above is probably the best! 🙂

Yep. Our last cruise was the same trouble.. get there in line early for the sign-up or miss out.

What.. some other staff smoke.. so non-smoking staff should just put up with it?? What sort of weird logic is that. Haven't been to any Indian casinos. Gee they must be a backward place to visit? Modern thinking countries started banning smoking indoors almost 2 decades ago.

It's 2024. Time to stop whining like little babies and grow up. There's smoking areas outside for you to use. No staff member anywhere, in any business, should have to put up with working in an environment with smoke. They don't on land.. so why should they have to on a ship??

But Queenstown is one of the reasons why you would do a land tour??

No, you've got it back to front. NZ is an ideal place to do by land and not cruise.

I did! Ok, August might technically be the end of winter rather than the middle.. but it's still winter and freaking cold in NZ! 😋

I'm aware of when our summers are.. lol.

Thank you (and Aus Traveller). Sounds good to me. We usually like to snorkel when we go to the Islands. Will be the middle of NZ winter.. so will be great! 🙂

Hiya. Is Dravuni Island a good stop? We're heading there later this year and I haven't done any homework on the ports yet. Any recommendations? 🙂

I wouldn't call it harrowing at all. Far from it - it's a great drive.. and would be even better from a bus (I drive it about 5-6 times a year and have done it by train also). Certainly not harrowing at all though.

Are you doing it by train or by Van/bus? Arthurs Pass/Otira is stunning. The first hour or so is a bit average.. but once you get past Springfield and into the Arthurs Pass it's very scenic. Castle Hill is interesting too (was used for one of the LOTR scenes). Would recommend that trip (unsure if the farm tour will be any good - that's up to you). If you don't do it.. Christchurch is only about 15-mins from Lyttleton. Wouldn't be a lot to do in Lyttleton for a day.. so would recommend heading over the hill to Christchurch.. do the Tram, Punting on the Avon, the Botanical Gardens etc.. and then if time on the way back, the Gondola.

Where abouts are you from?

Totally agree. Although would strongly recommend not driving from Queenstown to Milford - take the tour bus with glass roof! It's a windy drive, but spectacular and you're far better staring up at the peaks through the glass-roofed bus than concentrating on the windy road. They pick you up from your Hotel. Alternatively, stay a night in Te Anau and have them pick you up from there. If they could squeeze in 3-nights.. they could have a look around Queenstown on the day they get there.. do the Milford drive the next day (it's a long day.. about 12-hours or more from memory) and then the next day take the rental car and get to Arrowtown, Glenorchy, the wineries, or whatever floats their boat. Heck, you could spend weeks down there.. but 3-nights would give you a great taste.

Interesting. You'll see the fjords from the ship even if you do take the tour - the ship will have to enter the Sound to reach a point to drop you off. Yes, the drive into Milford Sound is rather spectacular (Google Te Anau and also the Mirror Lakes for example).. but it will be expensive as heck. Where will they put you up for the night? In Dunedin? Other than the drive from Milford.. what else would you see or do on the HAL excursion? It's got to be about a 5-6 hour drive from there to Dunedin. If you've got the time.. it would probably cost you no more than the cost of the excursion and be miles better.. to instead fly from Auckland to Queenstown after your cruise and spend a few nights in the Jewel of NZ and see Te Anau etc from that direction.