Live from Coral Princess - Round Australia October 2022

[OzKiwiJJ]

On 10/16/2022 at 5:43 AM, MMDown Under said:

Julie, My favourite of three cafes where I had a fish meal was Dundees on the Waterfront, at Cairns Marina, not far along the waterfront from the Cairns port.  This was an upmarket cafe, where I sat outside overlooking the river. 

The one in the back street on a corner was the most generous with two large pieces of fish, part of a fish meal. 

Thanks, Marion. We tried Dundees and the fish and chips were very nice indeed. The fish was Spanish mackeral which I don't think I'd tried before, and the chips were amazing. Not the usual chips you get everywhere, these had a distinctly different and very nice taste. The service was a bit erratic though but they were very busy since it was a Sunday.

[OzKiwiJJ]

We're currently cruising up the eastern side of Cape York between the reef and the land. It looks like we'll go through Torres Strait overnight which is a shame. We did it once during the day and it was fascinating.

 

Yesterday in Cairns was a shopping day - Rolf needed some new shoelaces for his good shoes and I needed a few things that I hadn't had time to get in Sydney between cruises. Then we had a bigger than intended lunch at Dundees then went back to the ship to cool off in the Sanctuary pool which had warmed up nicely.

 

The other passengers seem to be settling into their routines and finding their way around the ship OK although we still spot the odd one or two looking lost, or who think the Sanctuary is some sort of walking track.

 

Some of the entertainers have changed - Paul McD has left but his replacement in Crooners seems popular - we haven't been able to get a seat there after dinner yet. The Souvenir Duo are still onboard but most of the other groups have changed. There is one guitarist/vocalist that we don't like - her style of music is strange, I don't even know how to describe it. 

 

We've now settled on our favourite place in the Bordeaux MDR so have a regular booking there each night. That makes it very easy.

[possum52]

47 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Thanks, Marion. We tried Dundees and the fish and chips were very nice indeed. The fish was Spanish mackeral which I don't think I'd tried before, and the chips were amazing. Not the usual chips you get everywhere, these had a distinctly different and very nice taste. The service was a bit erratic though but they were very busy since it was a Sunday.

Julie, we found Spanish mackeral is very popular in Cairns. I had it a number of times while up there in July/August and really enjoyed it. Also had coral trout which I also enjoyed.

[MMDown Under]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Thanks, Marion. We tried Dundees and the fish and chips were very nice indeed. The fish was Spanish mackeral which I don't think I'd tried before, and the chips were amazing. Not the usual chips you get everywhere, these had a distinctly different and very nice taste. The service was a bit erratic though but they were very busy since it was a Sunday.

I'm glad you enjoyed your meal.  From memory my fish meal had a Thai flavour.  It was very quiet because they were only opening up after Covid.  It was my third fish cafe as I couldn't find it because it wasn't open.  They were good with topping up the water but not with the bill.  I had a RAT appt so I had to go so I went inside and asked someone for the bill.  

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, MMDown Under said:

I'm glad you enjoyed your meal.  From memory my fish meal had a Thai flavour.  It was very quiet because they were only opening up after Covid.  It was my third fish cafe as I couldn't find it because it wasn't open.  They were good with topping up the water but not with the bill.  I had a RAT appt so I had to go so I went inside and asked someone for the bill.  

We just had their standard fish and chips. Lovely crispy fish. 

[MMDown Under]

10 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

We just had their standard fish and chips. Lovely crispy fish. 

All the fish I had in Cairns were first class. Dundees was just different. 

[Elorac123]

Someone on the other place has just written that they are laying new carpet throughout the ship !

Whats the story 

Cheers Carole

[NSWP]

More importantly Julie is the mask wearing slack?😷

[joejoe 59]

2 hours ago, Elorac123 said:

Someone on the other place has just written that they are laying new carpet throughout the ship !

Whats the story 

Cheers Carole

I saw a picture of the new carpet on the other site, looks very flash.

[NSWP]

1 minute ago, joejoe 59 said:

I saw a picture of the new carpet on the other site, looks very flash.

On going maintenance.

[Elorac123]

1 minute ago, joejoe 59 said:

I saw a picture of the new carpet on the other site, looks very flash.

One would have thought if it needed new carpet it could have been done during the time it was idle, or maybe I suppose it wasn’t available

Cheers Carole

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, Elorac123 said:

Someone on the other place has just written that they are laying new carpet throughout the ship !

Whats the story 

Cheers Carole

We've seen them laying carpet on the midships stairway and the Sanctuary has a couple of huge rolls of "grass carpet" waiting to be laid.

[OzKiwiJJ]

40 minutes ago, NSWP said:

More importantly Julie is the mask wearing slack?😷

It's very good moving around the ship and in lifts. There are a few too many people not wearing masks or with noses hanging out in the theatre, and it's appalling bad at morning trivia.

[OzKiwiJJ]

It was a lovely day today. The sea was almost completely calm. I haven't seen seas like that in ages. 

 

I had my hair cut this morning. I'm always a bit nervous having it cut by someone who I don't know as my hair is very fine and straight but I had the best cut I've had in years. Even better than my regular stylist.

 

I made the mistake of having the mac and cheese for lunch. It was very nice but very rich. I nearly sank in the Sanctuary Pool. 🤣

 

We saw dolphins this evening, quite a few of them. One or two were leaping high in the air. They looked quite small but were too far away to see more details. 

[MMDown Under]

6 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

It was a lovely day today. The sea was almost completely calm. I haven't seen seas like that in ages. 

 

I had my hair cut this morning. I'm always a bit nervous having it cut by someone who I don't know as my hair is very fine and straight but I had the best cut I've had in years. Even better than my regular stylist.

 

I made the mistake of having the mac and cheese for lunch. It was very nice but very rich. I nearly sank in the Sanctuary Pool. 🤣

 

We saw dolphins this evening, quite a few of them. One or two were leaping high in the air. They looked quite small but were too far away to see more details. 

Sounds like you enjoyed a perfect day at sea.  Pleased you had the best haircut, as I understand how nerve wracking it is to have your hair cut by a strange hairdresser.  It is always a joy to spot dolphins at sea.  Have you seen any flying fish?

[MMDown Under]

12 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Sounds like you enjoyed a perfect day at sea.  Pleased you had the best haircut, as I understand how nerve wracking it is to have your hair cut by a strange hairdresser.  It is always a joy to spot dolphins at sea.  Have you seen any flying fish?

Oops I put a comment re Darwin on wrong thread - Majestic Princess - 20th October. 

[arxcards]

13 hours ago, Elorac123 said:

Someone on the other place has just written that they are laying new carpet throughout the ship !

Whats the story 

Cheers Carole

Previous cruise, they replaced the deck 6 carpet outside the big lounge. Just a minor inconvenience, and the stains disappeared in an afternoon.

 

Doing it while idle? Unnecessary expense when ships weren't making any money for their masters. 

[bvm49]

We're enjoying this cruise- getting back in the grouve after almost 3 years absence. We did a lot of walking in Darwin today which probably wasn't a good idea as it was stinking hot.

[OzKiwiJJ]

14 hours ago, bvm49 said:

We're enjoying this cruise- getting back in the grouve after almost 3 years absence. We did a lot of walking in Darwin today which probably wasn't a good idea as it was stinking hot.

Wasn't it just! 

 

We just wandered around the town. Had a very nice coffee in the mall at a cafe that had shaded seating with fans. Then we went to the local swimwear shop where I bought a new tankini. We finished off with a delicious Asian lunch at a very nice restaurant, Ruby, around the corner from the far end of the mall, next to a small park. Great food - Vietnamese and Thai cuisine.

 

The weather behaved itself though. Thunderstorms were predicted late morning but they kindly waited until everyone was back on board before bucketing down.

[OzKiwiJJ]

The port stop at Kuri Bay has been cancelled as the local community is mourning the death of two prominent elders. It will be replaced by more scenic cruising.  

 

We weren't planning on going ashore anyway so the change doesn't bother us. it will be interesting to see more of the coast in that area.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Covid is definitely onboard. I spotted a front-of-door table in our section of the ship this morning. I also saw a post of FB yesterday saying the tables had been seen.

 

We haven't been going to many shows on this cruise so far but intend to go to the new production show "What the World Needs Now" tonight. It will be interesting to see what the mask situation is like in the theatre.

[MMDown Under]

6 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

The port stop at Kuri Bay has been cancelled as the local community is mourning the death of two prominent elders. It will be replaced by more scenic cruising.  

 

We weren't planning on going ashore anyway so the change doesn't bother us. it will be interesting to see more of the coast in that area.

I am curious what they were planning to do there.  

[MMDown Under]

2 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Covid is definitely onboard. I spotted a front-of-door table in our section of the ship this morning. I also saw a post of FB yesterday saying the tables had been seen.

 

We haven't been going to many shows on this cruise so far but intend to go to the new production show "What the World Needs Now" tonight. It will be interesting to see what the mask situation is like in the theatre.

Just keep up the good work with masks at the theatre in particular.  Not many people wearing masks in Parramatta, except at Drs Chemists etc.

[lyndarra]

On 10/19/2022 at 9:05 PM, OzKiwiJJ said:

It was a lovely day today. The sea was almost completely calm. I haven't seen seas like that in ages. 

 

I had my hair cut this morning. I'm always a bit nervous having it cut by someone who I don't know as my hair is very fine and straight but I had the best cut I've had in years. Even better than my regular stylist.

 

I made the mistake of having the mac and cheese for lunch. It was very nice but very rich. I nearly sank in the Sanctuary Pool. 🤣

 

We saw dolphins this evening, quite a few of them. One or two were leaping high in the air. They looked quite small but were too far away to see more details. 

 

On 10/19/2022 at 9:05 PM, OzKiwiJJ said:

We saw dolphins this evening, quite a few of them. One or two were leaping high in the air. They looked quite small but were too far away to see more details. 

This reminded me of the dolphins we saw from the ferry going from Spain to Morocco last month. Always great to watch them.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, MMDown Under said:

I am curious what they were planning to do there.  

There were a couple of excursions but they didn't have any detailed info about them. One was very short and very expensive so may have been a scenic flight, the other was walking around and visiting the pearl farm. 

Edited October 21, 2022 by OzKiwiJJ