Stopping at Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach is the most famous beaches in the world and one of the most popular stops on the Sydney Big Bus Tour. It can be reached by the Blue Route, which is currently suspended, but was in operation when we were in Sydney. This is a must see attraction in our opinion.

We had about an hour to get something to eat and explore the town and beach before the next Big Bus came along and we were able to continue our journey.

 

click images to enlarge

According to Wikipedia "Bondi," originally "Boondi" is an Aboriginal word which had the meaning of "noise made by sea waves breaking on the beach," which is essentially the definition of "surf" in contemporary American English. As you can see from images captured during our visit to Bondi Beach, this is quite an appropriate name.

Lunch Break & Beach Time

The Big Bus dropped us off near some restaurants and shops which were just down the block and across the street from the beach.  Since we only had an hour, we opted for a quick lunch at McDonald's.  We were in the mood for a taste of home anyway since we'd been gone over 14 days at this point.  After lunch we crossed the bridge, seen in this photo, to the sprawling beach.  It would be a great place for a picnic or just to hang out and enjoy the surf and sun.  As you can see, the beach was quite crowded, but no one seemed to mind as there was plenty of room.

We got to the bus stop just in time to catch the bus and resume our tour.  We still had plenty to see before the tour was concluded.

Additional photos can be found on our Australia & New Zealand Shutterfly page

Bondi Beach

Big Bus Sydney




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Exploring Sydney in Two Days

Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel at Circular Quay was our base of operations for our two day post-cruise exploration of Sydney Australia.

We arrived at hotel on Friday after our cruise disembarked, checked in, leaving our luggage with the porter, and headed over to the concierge desk.  It is wise to rely on locals when planning your activities.   We had an idea of what we wanted to see, but due to Saturday being Australia Day (which is like the 4th of July in America) we needed some guidance on how best to maximize our time.

We had decided to do a combination hop-on-hop-off bus tour along with a ferry tour.   Since some streets would be blocked on Saturday, he suggested that we do the bus tour on Friday then watch the Australia Day festivities in the morning with the ferry harbour tour afterwards.

Big Bus Tours Sydney

We purchased our tickets thru the concierge but we needed to pick them up on the quay. A short walk from the hotel and we were on the quay and at the ticket counter.  We picked up the modified schedule for the weekend and waited for our bus to start our tour.

Big Bus Tours introduces you to all the most famous landmarks in Sydney, including beautiful Darling Harbour, sculptural Sydney Opera House and gorgeous Bondi Beach. Hop on and off the tour to explore these Sydney highlights and discover more of this iconic seaside city.

We started with the Red Route and took it to Central Station.  After exploring Central Station, we then boarded a Blue Route bus to Bondi Beach.

Note:  At the time of this writing, the Blue Route is suspended.  Please check their website for current tour operations.

Sydney Central Station is worth hopping off the bus for a closer look.  The interior architecture is amazing with beautiful arches and stained glass windows.  While there you could charge your phone, purchase attraction tickets and get some food or beverages for the rest of your journey.   We just looked around before heading to the Big Bus to continue our tour to Bondi Beach.

We'll cover the ferry tours in separate posts.  Check out our photo albums for more images from our tour via the Big Bus.

Additional photos can be found on our Australia & New Zealand Shutterfly page

Sydney Marriott

Big Bus Sydney




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Thanksgiving Reflections for 2020

HAPPY
THANKSGIVING 

I hope that you, your family, and friends have plenty to be thankful for this holiday season. I know that I have plenty of things to be thankful for, including my health, family, and friends and the ability to share my love of cruising and traveling with all of you. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to explore new worlds with family and friends again this year, if only for a short time.

Thankful for ... 

 

Experiencing New Destinations 

We arrived in Melbourne, Australia on February 14th to begin our adventure.  As usual we took our own advice of arriving a couple days before we cruise.  This takes the stress our of the vacation since you don't need to worry about missing your ship.  It is especially important when traveling far.  

After 19 hours of flying, we checked in our hotel and then headed to Melbourne's Sea Life Aquarium. We had pre-booked an all day tour with West Tours to Phillip Island for the next day.  The main highlight of that tour was the penguin parade.  Unfortunately, just before the parade, we got an email from Princess Cruises that our cruise would be shortened.  We would not be sailing on to Singapore as scheduled.

See More Southern Australia Pics (here)
See our diary from our cruise from Melbourne, Australia

The weather in Southern Australia in February is gorgeous compared to the cold and snowy winter back home.   The Caribbean isn't the only place you can escape the weather.   We encourage you to expand your cruise vacation destination list to beyond the Caribbean.

The cruise industry is resilient as ever with new ships still being introduced and planned even during a pandemic.  The CDC is working with the cruise lines to formulate plans to allow for resumption of cruising.   It will be a slow process with the first sailings being shakedown cruises to be sure the protocols are in place to assure safety and health for passengers, crew, and destinations.

The value of cruising has never been stronger. Even in these tough times, more and more families are planning to take to the seas. As the pause in cruising continues, in order to accommodate the CDC requirements, the cruise lines have offered bonus FCCs to passengers impacted by the cancellations.  There is a pent up demand for cruising and other vacations.   

Thankful for ... 
Our Travel Partners

Cruises Inc., Cruise One, and Dream Vacations had been scheduled to hold the 2020 National Conference on Celebrity Apex which was starting its inaugural season.  The pandemic had other plans, and our conference switched to a virtual event.  Our cruise line and land partners still participated in this four day event sharing the latest industry news and insights as we begin the recovery process.   

Throughout the pandemic, our travel partners have been there for us and you, providing regular updates, introducing cruise with confidence and relaxed cancellation policies so that our guests could modify their vacation plans as the current situation would dictate.   

We wonder what the Pilgrims, who came to the New World in Tall Ships, would think about Celebrity Apex.  Their ships measured 110 feet, held 150 passengers at most, and took months to cross the Atlantic.  The Apex is about 10 times that length (1004 feet), holds 3405 passengers (double occupancy) and 1320 crew, and took just a couple weeks to cross the Atlantic.

Thank you for making our blog column a part of your lives in 2020.   I hope that the information we share helps you to dream about future cruises or land adventures of your own. I'd be honored to help you plan those trips. I have the best job in the world - helping make dreams come true. For that, I'm truly thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to All

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Chocolate Journeys on Princess Cruises

click on images to enlarge

Princess Cruises 

& Norman Love

Do you Love Chocolate? If so, you need to sail on Princess Cruises while Chocolate Journeys^SM desserts are still being featured.

Creations by Norman Love

When we sailed on Regal Princess for our conference in November 2014, Princess Cruises introduced Chocolate Journeys^SM for their 50th Anniversary.

On our most recent Princess Cruise, Majestic Princess 15 Day Australia - Asia, we were happy to see these chocolate masterpieces are still being served on formal nights in the main dining room.

About Norman Love 


Norman Love has been recognized by InStyle Magazine, Martha Stewart Living, and O, the Oprah Magazine for his exquisite, silky, rich confections. He has has designed some of the most decadent, hand-crafted treats in partnership with Princess for their exclusive Chocolate Journeys^SM program, available onboard fleetwide.

You’ll find Norman Love’s artful chocolate creations on select main dining room desserts menus. Discover even more unique creations in Sabatini's Italian Restaurant, Crown Grill, Sterling Steakhouse, and at the Chef's Table experience.

Chocolate Journeys

70% of Women Crave Chocolate More than Sex for an Afternoon Delight according to Princess Cruises second annual independent survey.

Chocolate Journeys continues with Premium Chocolate & Wine Tastings and even Chocolate Spa Treatments (Learn More)

View Princess Cruises chocolate desserts photo gallery

 

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Cruise lines are offering special promotions and pricing on popular cruises to encourage consumers to plan their next cruise vacation now. We'll be featuring promotions on our website and social media.

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