Jim_Iain Live - 2nd Half World Cruise - B2B Singapore to Down Under 11/25 – 12/21

[Redking]

1 minute ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

 

 

Sporting the MAMIL look very well, without the bikes if course😀

[Jim_Iain]

Asked a bit ago -- Sorry this thread has become unmanageable and trying to find the original question would be time consuming.  

 

Credits to Tom Darlington the New Wine List from MDR that went into effect yesterday on Reflections.   They have not yet published on Edge. 

 

Stay tuned and will see what I can find.   Others who have lists please direct us to your post.

 

[The_Big_M]

17 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Asked a bit ago -- Sorry this thread has become unmanageable and trying to find the original question would be time consuming.  

 

Credits to Tom Darlington the New Wine List from MDR that went into effect yesterday on Reflections.   They have not yet published on Edge. 

 

Stay tuned and will see what I can find.   Others who have lists please direct us to your post.

 

They’ll probably roll it out on the next leg out of Sydney on edge, as that’s only a couple of days away.

[Georgia_Peaches]

54 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I've way behind on reading your Live but will be catching up soon.     I will try to persuade him to give you your well deserved trip down under.    Now is the time to play that Guilt trip... I've given up my dream for you all these years... you can finish the story.

Awe, you are so right.  Finish the story, I'm happy to do!  I'm working on him...he's coming around.  Can't tell you how much your review is helping...don't worry about mine, LOL...it was the Caribbean for crying out loud 😂.  Doesn't hold a candle...

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

I have to do my Xmas shopping next week -   Amazon Gift Cards for all the Grandchildren.   I know Bahhhhh Humbug but that's us.

 

Our grandchildren range from 25 to 8.  We have gotten to the point where we guy a Christmas gift for the oldest, this year will be a box of Satsuma Mandarin Oranges,  and give cash to the two middle (20 and 18) grandkids.  The youngest is an only son and wants for nothing making it difficult to shop for him.  I send his father cash and tell him to buy something the kid wants/needs and bank any left over.  

 

My wife and I are rather like you and Iian when it comes to gifts.  We tell everyone that every day is Christmas, anniversary, birthday, mothers day, fathers day, etc. and if we want or need something we buy it.  

 

We do our big family gathering on Thanksgiving when those of us that can congregate at our Daughter's house.  This year there were only six of us as our son and his wife and our youngest grandson could not make it from the West Coast and the oldest grandson and his wife are active duty military and could not make it down from ND.  

 

For Christmas it's usually my wife and I enjoying peace and quite at home.  Our anniversary is December 20 and our granddaughter's birthday is on December 22nd.  Our daughter, her husband and the two middle grandkids are coming over Saturday the 23rd to open presents and we are all going out for dinner at a restaurant. 

 

 

Edited December 7, 2023 by DaKahuna

[Ipeeinthepools]

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Well wasn't all OBC.    I did hit a couple jackpot.    Since I finally hit Onyx I don't think they lock me out of my Refundable OBC.    I like to bledd it off or withdraw at front desk last day of cruise.

I know it comes back as a credit on my CC but then I loose 3X Chase Sapphire points.  

 

You can always use it as additional gratuities for the staff.  I'm sure the staff will appreciate it.  

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, Redking said:

Sporting the MAMIL look very well, without the bikes if course😀

 

That one went totally over my head.   What does MAMIL mean.  

[Jim_Iain]

We then had lunch in a sheltered cove and went ashore where you could hike over a mountain to Whitehaven Beach - We had lunch on the right and then hiked over the little tree covered mountain.

Stock Picture  of Whitehaven Beach from the air  -  we

 

Here's the Master of our Boat.   Love red colors of their uniform.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fruit skewers were offered after re-boarding.

 

 

Edited December 7, 2023 by Jim_Iain

[Jim_Iain]

I was trying to rush the boys to the tender as I noticed the tour busses arriving at the Tender port.   Of course we missed the tender by 1 person and had to load on the next one that took 30 minutes to load.  

 

Got back to Edge and was 3rd in line to drop us off. 

 

Not sure of the extend of damage to the Magic Carpet but was not in operation.   Some say a glass panel was shattered others that it was that way since Rome.     Regardless they haven't used it today.

 

We had plenty of time to take pictures as we sat out there and bobbed for over an hour.

 

 

Edited December 7, 2023 by Jim_Iain

[FeebeeH]

15 hours ago, Whinenowine said:

We picked up some hand-carved wookwork from Leura that we still have on display at home.  Hope your birthday getaway was a good one.  We loved Sydney too!

Had a wonderful time being spoilt, I didn't get any woodwork but there were TWO chocolate shops that produced handmade chocolates (one only 100-200 metres from Lillianfels?) the other in Leura.  Needless to say, I came back home with a lot of goodies.  After all, it was for my birthday!😀

[Jim_Iain]

12 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

I noticed Iain was sporting a new baseball cap.

It will coordinate well with your new shirts.🤪

Yea... that's the one I bought in Singapore and never had the opportunity to wear yet.

 

Cheeky Bugger....

[Jim_Iain]

8 hours ago, Mike981 said:

Hey Jim, I tried to do a search on this thread to see if you have talked about Ponant at all and didn't see anything. I would love to hear your friends take on Celebrity.

 

No Mike -- I did all the comparison on the Ponant Board and the one I posted earlier.

 

David, big Ponant fan, said the other day about the Port's Tender -   How many Ponant tenders do think would fit on one of these... I responded all of them.

[ging466]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

That one went totally over my head.   What does MAMIL mean.  

Middle aged men in lycra (MAMIL). It's a term we use to describe a lot of cyclists!

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[Jim_Iain]

12 hours ago, jagoffee said:

I hope this becomes an Edge Class standard.  Not being able to order from the full MDR  menu was the biggest negative when cruising in the Retreat on the Edge.

They have upped the menu in Retreat on this ship.   I have however noticed some of the dishes were luke warm but the plates so hot you could barely touch.

[Jim_Iain]

6 hours ago, upwarduk said:

School holidays already in Australia?

Yes in full swing I hear.    The next is reported to have 200-350 children depending on who you talk to and the next Cruise December 21 which is Xmas and New Years is of course fully booked and 500+ children.

[Jim_Iain]

5 hours ago, Whinenowine said:

Somehow I think you two will find a way to bring some colour/style to black tie formal.

 

You bet.    No black tie for sure.     Some time I will have to post Iain's little yellow ducky cuff links.   He forgot them on this trip.

[Jim_Iain]

5 minutes ago, ging466 said:

Middle aged men in lycra (MAMIL). It's a term we use to describe a lot of cyclists!

 

Cheers

Jennifer

 

 

Jenny ---you can only imagine Willie  (I'm sure he is one of the pix)   Robert of course looked fantastic.   -   He had to request a one 2x larger than the one they first gave him.    MAMIL should never wear Lycra but Sting Suits are an exception.   The hell with the look. 

[Creekside89]

4 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Gerry -  Sorry for the delay in answering.    As usually all my sources are mum.

 

We were on the last tender before they pulled up the Magic Carpet.   I observed something going on between an Celebrity Staff excited and running back and forth and the Captain of the Tender blowing him off.   The Celebrity guy was pointing to a tie down.   The seas were rough and I felt the Tender Slam the Magic Carpet a couple of times. 

 

You may know more than I but was the end panel damaged or shattered on the previous cruise?    One person claimed to see it shattered and others said it was that way since Rome.

 

It’s been that way since Rome. When we went through the Suez, they had tape in front of it. I stood there for a little while to get photos. 
 

When we were on our tender for Cairns, the maintenance crew were trying to remove the panel and had a new glass panel with them. They were having difficulty removing the damaged panel.

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, Suzi66 said:

Thank goodness, says this teacher.

School holidays officially start on the 20th of December but the kids are already in holiday mode and switched off.

 

You need a cruise on Virgin Cruises --- no children.   Thanks for your dedication you make such a contribution and difference. 

[Redking]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

That one went totally over my head.   What does MAMIL mean.  

I see a reply has already been provided. Iain and you look way too on trend to live up to its usual derogatory meaning.

[Suzi66]

Just now, Jim_Iain said:

 

You need a cruise on Virgin Cruises --- no children.   Thanks for your dedication you make such a contribution and difference. 

Funnily enough, we are doing one of those to try them, just before we head off to Hong Kong for our S2S.  We were debating on upgrading from Aqua to a suite or doing a 5 day Virgin cruise and the Virgin cruise won.

[FeebeeH]

6 hours ago, upwarduk said:

School holidays already in Australia?

It's our Summer holidays in Australia & the equivalent of your UK ones.  My sister is a teacher at a London school & her husband the principal, made trying to arrange holidays visiting each other interesting.  In July/August she would have approx 4-5 weeks when we only had 2.  And at Christmas when she would visit us she only had 2 weeks whereas our sons had 5 weeks off from their NSW schools (mid December to end January).

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

Like you, @Jim_Iain, we are done with buying each other gifts, elaborate decorating and big parties.  We've passed the entertaining onto a nephew and his wife who volunteered to do it. One big family party, coming up on Sunday and we are done. A quiet Christmas dinner for the 2 of us and a neighbor who will be alone for the first time in 39 years and that's it. 

Glad you are enoying your cruise. Safe travels.

 

You're my type of girl.    When we were recently de-cluttering  I passed on my Collection of Waterford 12 Days of Christmas I sent my mother over a decade period of time, to my Daughter in Law.    She loves them.    

 

Mom of course asked me to take them home before she passed.    They have wonderful memories. 

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, Lastdance said:

I certainly understand about Christmas.  We donate to charities for our Christmas gifts to one another knowing that we are helping others.  None of our family lives by us, but we do have good friends living a couple of blocks away; however, they are gone for the holidays.  Presently, I am on Beyond for my first ever cruise that is decorated for Christmas!  

 

Don't they do a great job.   Just stand by -  they continue up until Xmas Day.  Ginger bread houses, trains -  

[Wookie01]

36 minutes ago, ging466 said:

Middle aged men in lycra (MAMIL). It's a term we use to describe a lot of cyclists!

 

Cheers

Jennifer

Lol, also called FOFILs - Fat Old Farts in Lycra 😅