…rts of the city. It is a short distance from the casinos near to the ferry terminal (although easy to walk to) and on a different island to the newer “Las Vegas” style mega developments. I found it perfect for seeing and getting a feel for the roots of Macau, with the ability to catch a taxi across to the modern side to explore and see shows at night. The building was a bit shabby from the outside, as some reviewers on others sites have commented,…
…n towards Circular Quay and our docking location at the Overseas Passenger Terminal. There were two cruise ship terminals in Sydney with this being the most spectacular, and convenient, as right in the heart of the harbour with the Bridge and Opera House in short strolling distance. Watch the video I made of our arrival into Sydney: https://youtu.be/loH1Jz9fF_s We went to our final breakfast on this part of our around-the-world trip and it felt a…
…f sand that is popular with locals and surfers. The area between the ferry terminal and beach is full of beach wear, souvenir and fast food shops, backpacker hotels, busy bars and some restaurants – and not especially attractive. But the beach itself is wonderful. We hired chairs and umbrella, something that is not possible at Bondi. There were not many though available, as it seemed that Australians are either happy to lie in the sun on the sand…
…he maps from the local tourist board that had set up a stall in the cruise terminal. The highlight of my day was visiting the Plaza of Maria Pita, a local heroine who had helped rally the city to fight back against the English in the 1500s. Bilboa Spain Guggenheim Museum Bilbao Spain Guggenheim Museum Bilbao Spain Guggenheim Museum Bilbao Spain Plaza Nueva Bilbao Spain Arriaga Theatre Bilbao Spain The next day we arrived in Gexto, the port for Bil…
…o get on more quickly because I haven’t spent a lot of time sitting in the terminal waiting to board. # 4 Packing the Right Day Bag for Embarkation Day It’s really important to make sure that anything that is valuable, whether it’s medicines, electronics, computers or anything else that’s of value to you, is packed in a day bag. Do not put these items in your checked in luggage, keep all that stuff with you. When you’re packing that day bag or car…
…a specific time to check in. This is to enable physical distancing in the terminal, and time for a detailed screening and a Covid-19 swab test to be conducted on everyone. This pre-embarkation test, by the way, is included the fare. It takes around 70 minutes to get your result. If you test negative your carry-on bags are disinfected and you head on board. It can take up to an hour and half to get on board with all the new procedures. MASKS Secon…
…a specific time to check in. This is to enable physical distancing in the terminal, and time for a detailed screening and a Covid-19 swab test to be conducted on everyone. This pre-embarkation test, by the way, is included the fare. It takes around 70 minutes to get your result. If you test negative your carry-on bags are disinfected and you head on board. It can take up to an hour and half to get on board with all the new procedures. MASKS Secon…
…oing to be dramatically less busy. MSC Grandiosa has been sailing at around 50% only so far. Of course, the business model for cruising is built on sailing with full ships, and if they have to keep sailing with lower capacity we could see fares rise. But meantime, this is a tradition that I am excited to see set aside. #2 GETTING ON BOARD A tradition for many of us was getting to the port as early as we could, so we could board the ship as soon as…
…the biggest cruise port in the UK, has announced it will open a 5th cruise terminal also in the summer of 2021 which can handle ships capable of carrying up to 6,000 passengers. First Carnival Ship back in USA Returning back to the United States, One milestone did happen this past week as the first Carnival cruise line ship returned to US waters ! Early on after the shutdown, Carnival Cruise Lines (and sister lines like Princess and Holland Americ…
…ts. Guests are also tested at the end of the cruise. The ship is sailing at 50% capacity, masks are to be worn, social distancing in venues, and guests must wear the new Royal Caribbean “Tracelet” to assist with contact tracing. What I found interesting are the financial arrangements, as this may be a sign of what will be the case when cruising resumes in North America and Europe Firstly, 100% refund if anyone in your travel party tests positive w…
…need to take part in Embarkation and disembarkation procedures, including terminal check-in and screening. This will include testing before boarding pier side and another before being able to disembark at the end. Both will take much longer than pre-pandemic. In Europe where cruises where these new protocols have been running, check in has been taking between one and a half and three hours. On board activities, including using dining and entertai…
