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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.
Locals in this popular tourist destination often get around town on bicycle. We loved this image because it captured several different methods of transportation from walking to sightseeing bus all within the picture frame.
Do you enjoy bike riding as a family or even individually? Have you ever taken a bike excursion during a vacation? If you have, share one of you memories with us. If not, where would you want to go? #KeepTheKidsEngaged
We hope you are enjoying this series of "Where is Chris" posts. We'd love your feedback on our social media.
Here is today's post: See if you can guess where I am.
As promised, we've updated yesterday's post, Where is Chris - Mother Ocean Day, with the answer to the puzzle. Revisit that post and just scroll over the image to reveal the answer. You can also click on the link below the picture to read more. Make sure to follow us on our social media, so you don't miss any destinations.
If you can't wait for tomorrow for the answer, you can take my quiz in my Instagram story.
We are just back from our shortened Australia - Asia cruise on Majestic Princess. Princess Cruises made the decision to cancel the Fremantle (Perth) to Singapore segment of our voyage based on uncertainty around port availability in Southeast Asia region due to the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Since we had booked our flights with Princess Air, they were automatically rebooked by the cruise line. We got our flight arrangements in our cabin on Feb. 19th.
click to enlarge images
Our new flights were booked on Air New Zealand. We had a 7 AM flight from Perth (PER) Sunday, Feb. 23rd, to Auckland, New Zealand (AUK). We had about a two hour layover in Auckland followed by a direct 14 hour 55 minute flight to Chicago (ORD).
We had the option to stay on board Majestic Princess an extra day (Saturday, Feb 22nd) and then take a taxi at 3:15 AM to the airport. Since it was about a 30 minute taxi ride, we didn't want to risk having anything go wrong and missing our flight, so we opted to stay overnight at Country Comfort Intercity (Perth) hotel. They had a free airport shuttle which operates 24 hours a day, so that was the main deciding factor for us.
On Saturday morning, we disembarked Majestic Princess, handling our own luggage, and then took the Princess shuttle (provided for free) to Perth airport. When we arrived at the airport, we called the hotel to find out where to meet the shuttle. They directed us to Bay N (as in November). We weren't quite sure where that was, so we asked a flight attendant who pointed us in the right direction. We didn't have long to wait for the shuttle.
When we arrived at the hotel, we arranged to be on the 4 AM shuttle to the airport, dropped off our luggage in our room, and headed to Perth city proper by taxi for some sightseeing, including a Swan River Cruise which we booked upon arrival at Barrack Street Jetty (Elizabeth Quay) Perth. We'll write about our river cruise in another article.
Sunday morning, we got to the front desk about 15 minutes early and checked out. There were a couple other couples already waiting for the shuttle with one more also booked. Once they arrived, we headed to the airport which was a short distance away. By 4:15 AM we were checking in at the Air New Zealand desk in Terminal 1 (which is the International Terminal at Perth Airport).
Note: It is important that you know which terminal you are leaving from as they are spread out quite a distance and not easy to get to if you were at the wrong terminal.
We went to checkin and were asked if we had a visa on our passports for New Zealand. Of course, we said "no" because we had never planned to be flying home from there. Our original plans would have been flying from Singapore to Japan to Dallas Fort Worth to Chicago. It never dawned on us that we'd need a visa, despite the fact that we'd had one last year when we visited there on our previous visit to the region. Princess Cruises had not made any mention of it on our flight change paperwork either. In fact, they simply listed the flight numbers and we needed to look up the itinerary online to even know the details.
The Electronic Travel Authority for New Zealand(eTA), is applicable to citizens from all countries that share a visa waiver agreement with NZ. Starting October 1st, 2019, visitors arriving from any of the 60 visa waiver countries are required to apply for an eTA to enter the island country.
Fortunately, there's an app for that. The Air New Zealand agent gave us an information sheet with step by step instructions to download the app and apply for the transit visa online. Here's the link to get a New Zealand Visa should your travels take you there (and you are staying in country). The cost for the NZeTA was $9 NZD. Within minutes we had applied and gotten the online visa issued and we were then able to checkin for our flights. We were really glad that we'd been close to the airport, so the we had plenty of time before our flight.
This was our first experience flying Air New Zealand. We really enjoyed the flights and service. The crew were extremely friendly. We had free WiFi on the flight to Auckland. The food was good and the economy seating was decent for the long haul flight. I'd highly recommend them for a trip to Australia / New Zealand.
Ironically, in one of my travel professional publications today, there was a link to an article about an experimental Lie-flat Beds for Economy that Air New Zealand is investigating. Here's a video that shows their plans. We'd definitely pay for that upgrade on a long-haul flight. Hats off to them for their innovation. I look forward to a future flight in one of these #Skynest sleeping pods.
This is the first in a series of blog posts about our shortened Australia - Asia trip. Despite the fact that we didn't get to Malaysia or Singapore, we will also share some of our past experiences, should your travel include Southeast Asia in the future. We are starting in reverse order, from our disembarkation from Majestic Princess.
Hopefully, you've followed us live on our social media channels as well. Don't worry if you didn't, as our anchor post will tie everything together for you. Just click the image (left) to our diary post.
We continue our series of photos depicting the #advertising subject. In this post we'll look at one popular tourist port of call and the signs that beckon your attention. They come in all sizes and shapes and on different surfaces.
We arrived in this next destination via cruise ship. We only had one day to explore the city, so advertising paid a key role in deciding what to do. So much to see - so little time !
Second in a Series of Posts
For those of you not familiar with the forum, it is hosted by @EpsteinTravels@TravelDesigned@CharlesYap. The theme is revealed every Tuesday 12pm ET. Recently, @spencerspellman joined the team as a permanent co-host. We co-hosted one week late last year and continue to contribute with images from our archives whenever possible.
Key West Florida
The sign above can be seen shortly after you arrive at the main part of town. There is a major shopping area which also has several of the popular attractions. The sign also advertises various ways that you can explore the city, such as by trolley. The #advertising on the right adds another element, a 3D person that helps draw your attention to the sign.
No Escaping Advertising
I bet you thought you'd just have a relaxing day at the beach at the Southernmost Point of continental U.S. Guess again! Here you might find an advertisement like this with water sports and places to eat or drink while you are there.
Place Ad Here
As you can see in these two images, no surface is immune from advertising. Advertising doesn't have to be stationary. In this second image, the trolley becomes the medium of choice for delivering several different advertising messages.
There are several different transportation choices competing for your vacation dollars, so it makes perfect sense for the business to put their contact information on the side of the trolley as well as other offers to compliment their services.
Signs on Buildings
Even the signs on the buildings are #advertising. Their message is brief, usually just the name of the business or attraction. Sometimes, they may contain other elements, all of which are designed to capture your attention.
Historic Buildings
You can have your picture taken by a marker depicting the "Southernmost Point" and then you might want to explore some of the historic buildings, such as this hotel. A picture is worth a thousand words, so why not advertise by showing what you'll see inside.
This is just a sample of the many #advertising images you might see on your day trip to Key West, Florida. It won't be possible to see everything in the time you are there, but through these ads, you should be able to select what interests you the most. Happy exploring !
If you like Travel & Photography join us each Friday!
Take a look through your photo archive and see if there are any images that fit this week's theme. If you don't have any to share at this time, check out what others are posting. This forum is a great way to explore the world from the comforts of your chair.
For the first time in more than 600 years, the world awoke to the first full day of the vacancy of the See of Rome, despite the fact that the Pope was still living. Benedict XVI announced his resignation earlier in February, stating that his resignation would become effective at 8 PM local time on February 28th. Full text of Pope’s declaration
He is now known as Pope-emeritus, and will be residing temporarily at Castel Gandolfo, in the palace used by Popes as a summer retreat until renovations of the monastery inside the walls of Vatican City are complete.
World Leaders Reacted
Italian President Giorgio Napolitano praised Benedict's "extraordinary courage" in making the announcement that he will resign because he lacks the strength to continue in the post.
Spain's King Juan Carlos on Monday acknowledged the hard work and dedication shown by Benedict during his pontificate, and he emphasized the "special relationship" the pope has maintained with the Iberian nation, as "reflected in the three memorable visits" he made to the country.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel thanked Benedict XVI for his years of work at the helm of the Catholic Church and wished him the best after his resignation, a "difficult decision" that she said deserved "the greatest respect."
"On behalf of Americans everywhere, Michelle and I wish to extend our appreciation and prayers to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. Michelle and I warmly remember our meeting with the Holy Father in 2009, and I have appreciated our work together over these last four years," U.S. President Barack Obama said.
"The Church plays a critical role in the United States and the world, and I wish the best to those who will soon gather to choose His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI's successor," the president said in a statement.
Great Time to Visit Rome & the Vatican
We can't think of a better time than now, during this historic transition in the Vatican, to visit Rome and the Vatican. Whether you are Catholic or not, the Vatican is a beautiful destination within the historic center of the Roman civilization of old. Everywhere you turn is history.
There are several cruises and land tours that begin and/or end in Rome or nearby cities. For those opting for a cruise vacation, we encourage you to extend your stay in Rome so that you can visit its many attractions including the Vatican.
Here are some related articles and photo albums from a recent cruise that included time in Rome.
