Darwin and the ‘Cage of Death’!!!!????

Darwin sunrise

This morning we awoke to a spectacular welcoming sunrise over Darwin. We were really excited to be visiting Darwin cause we planned to face our fears and brave the ‘Cage of Death’ with the wild crocodiles of Darwin. We had been talking about it for months and I have to admit there were butterflies in my stomach as I went to sleep last night and thought about the adventure just waiting in Darwin - we had watched the video on the internet and I was quite concerned about the strength of the ‘cage of death’ against the onslaught of 800 kg wild crocodiles!! 

We joked about whether we should stop at Woolies to buy a couple of raw chickens to feed them before we got into the water - just so we weren’t the food for the day - little did we know.........Joanne and Garry went straight to the Crocosaurus Cove to book a time for us, cause we didn’t want to miss out. Our death defying time was set at 4.00pm - but more about that later!

 After room service breakfast, we disembarked to meet up with Bob and June. Bob is a plumber who moved to Darwin in 1976 to help with the Cyclone Tracey recovery and forgot to go home - they have stayed ever since - obviously enjoying the relaxed lifestyle that Darwin offers. It seems to be a city which has essentially been shaped by two major events of the 20th century - the bombing raid by the Japanese in WW2 and Cyclone Tracey in 1974.

Aboriginal Art

I have to say that it makes such a difference to our enjoyment of visiting a city when it is shared with someone who has an obvious love of the place - and we were so happy that Bob and June were able to show us around their hometown. Thank you both so much for spending such a wonderful day with us - we really appreciated it.

From Vietnam on a leaky boat

Fannie Bay Gaol - see the cyclone bolts along the building

After a general orienting drive around the city we stopped at the Northern Territory Museum and Art Gallery. We especially enjoyed the display of Aboriginal artifacts, a display highlighting the links between Darwin and its maritime history - I was amazed to see the size of some of the boats which have been seized from illegal immigrants to Australia - the ones on display were used by refugees from Vietnam in the ’70’s. There was an interesting display of cyclone Tracey and its aftermath when 48,000 people were left homeless. The sound booth which plays a recording of the sound taken as the cyclone raged was particularly frightening. 

A couple of reprobates

Next we visited the Fannie Bay Gaol, a relatively primitive series of corrugated iron and brick buildings which were used until the end of 1979 until overcrowding and its rundown condition forced it to be closed. The gaol also had a grissly set of gallows which were the site of two hangings in 1952. I loved the book on display which was a record of medications given to prisoners - listed in columns were the prisoners name, complaint and medication used - the only choice of medication was The Medicine, The Cream or The Drops regardless of the affliction!

Bunker holes along the waterfront

Relic of a bygone era

Since it was before I was born, I was not fully aware of the degree and impact of Japanese bombing on Darwin, so I was very interested in the military museum - which is situated in the area where the main line of defense and command post was located. Darwin endured 64 air raids and many hundreds of locals were killed - maybe the recent Baz Luhrmann film ‘Australia’ has raised our understanding of this devastating event in our history.

The remnants of the Town Hall

The Anglican Cathedral was rebuilt

We had lunch in the centre of the city’s mall area, walked around to visit the Town Hall and Anglican church which were destroyed in the cyclone and did some shopping for those last minute things we had forgotten.

And finally it was time for the ‘Cage of Death’....... my heart was pounding as we walked across the road and into the Crocosaurus!! 

Languishing in the sun

It was time to come face to face with these monsters....... We rushed over to the pens where the wild aggressive crocodiles were located --- four different crocs in three different pools..... hang on a minute - three were lounging groggily in the sun, while only one was lying - read languishing  - in a sleepy state - in the water - and the one in the water had both his front feet missing!!! These didn’t appear to be the ‘ultimate wildlife experience’ that the brochure described!!! 

The Cage of Death

Still, we signed the indemnity form and listened to the safety briefing as the fellow tried to talk up the fact that ‘how they react is up to you’ - you have to do whatever you can to get their attention. Joanne and Garry bravely got into the cage and were lowered into the water - to be completely ignored by the crocs who didn’t even raise an eyelid!. 

Garry splashed wildly, like a madman, mostly in Joanne’s face, and the crocs didn’t even open their eyes!! Short of cutting off Joanne’s arm and throwing it to them, I don’t know what else he could have done to attract their attention!!

Eventually one of the operators poked the croc in the water with a pole and he reacted by flicking into the water, swimming around the ‘cage’ and then returning to his position sleeping on the bank - hardly death defying!!

At this point, I decided that we didn’t need to pay $200 to be lowered into the tank to ‘get wet’, so I asked to cancel our booking - which I was able to do with a full refund - to my mind there was no difference being lowered in the cage into the water and standing outside the tank watching them through the glass wall!! Joanne described her experience as a ‘very expensive dunking’!! 

Farewell drinks on the back deck

Back onboard, we assembled on the back deck to farewell Darwin to the backdrop of a fabulous sunset - what a magical day!

Farewell to Darwin

A view from the bridge

Today we are continuing to head due west as we close in on our first port of call - Darwin - where our friends Bob and June have kindly offered to be our tour guides for the day.     
We were very excited last night when we returned to our stateroom to find a much coveted invitation from the Captain to visit him and his crew on the bridge at 9.30 this morning. This tour is not offered to many passengers so we felt very privileged to be invited to see the operational hub of the ship.

This is the first time I have ever been on the bridge of a ship as large as the Dawn Princess so I found the whole experience very interesting. We were briefed by the third officer, Tom, on all the high tech GPS and radar equipment used to monitor the ships position and the main steering console which has the tiniest joystick I have ever seen to adjust the ship’s position if needed.

   




A bank of radio transceivers monitor other ship’s movements and are on alert for distress signals from other craft.  Safety onboard is also maintained from the bridge area with alarm monitors for fire, electricity generation, water tightness and closed circuit monitoring of all areas of the ship. 

Posing with the captain

After the briefing Captain Mc Bain generously posed for photos for each of the tour participants.

There was also a rack of flags of each country which are raised when in port in that country as well as flags to indicate when the pilot is onboard, and to warn other vessels when fuel is being taken onboard. 

View back along the ship from the captain's balcony

Overhanging either  side of the ship is a 'balcony' with a glass floor where the captain stands to guide the ship when berthing. I found it disconcerting to stand on the glass floor - 12 stories above the sea below. 

In direct contrast to the latest technology on the bridge, I decided to attend the enrichment lecture entitled ‘William Bligh - tyrant or hero’ which was given by Wallace Cray, the pilot brought on board to guide us through the Barrier Reef - now that we are passed the reef he says he has lots of time on his hands. The theatre was full and he  managed to inject humour into what could have been a very dry talk. I actually came away with a new respect and appreciation of this former Governor of NSW - I guess my view in the past had been coloured by Hollywood directors rather than facts.

Fun and Games at the Pool

A sharp left turn!!

Today we travelled north before taking a rather sharp left turn in the relatively narrow passage to head west as we rounded Cape York Peninsula, headed across the Gulf of Carpenteria towards Darwin. 

One of the things that we often miss when traveling is news from home - it can be very difficult to get any Australian news when overseas. On the Dawn Princess we have started receiving a condensed version of ‘Australian Today’ in our ‘stateroom’ (I have been corrected - we live in a stateroom - not a cabin!!) every morning. In contains news from each state, sports results, stock market and weather updates. Another nice touch which is greatly appreciated - except when it reports that the Broncos lost!! 

Pool volleyball anyone?

As we have travelled north, the temperature has continued to rise, meaning that more and more passengers are venturing outside to the pool deck - for fun and games in the sun and to get a dose of Vitamin D therapy! 

Sunday BBQ by the pool - yum!!

Today’s lunch was an Aussie Sunday BBQ by the pool - a fabulous selection of steaks, pork and lamb chops, sausages, chicken fillet, salmon steaks, grilled prawns and grilled vegetables accompanied by salads, breads, and platters of fresh fruit - the prawns were plump, juicy and absolutely delicious - attested to by the man in front of me who took at least 3 dozen on a huge oval platter.... and then went back for more!!!

Trivia Question of the day?

Q: What is Harry Webb’s stage name? 

A: Cliff Richards

Cassowary Coast - North Queensland

Cassowary Coast

Today we have continued northward along the Cassowary Coast and Barrier Reef as we passed Cairns and Port Douglas. The third officer has put together a powerpoint presentation with navigational maps, information and photos of points of interest along the way, which has been showing on the huge movie screen by the pool. This afternoon we passed Endeavor Reef where James Cook ran aground in 1770.

Navigation info on the MUTS Screen

I went to the line dancing classes - the instructor is a very lively English girl - and once again we had a ball - the class has so many people that we are dancing in all the aisles of the Vista Lounge. Quote of the class would have to be when she said “I love this class - you are so creative - I started with one dance and now after watching you, I have more than 20 different versions to teach!!” What we lacked in talent was certainly made up for in enthusiasm and laughter.

We also joined the Ballroom dancing class for the Waltz lessons - the instructor Alana, is a ton of fun - she showed us how to move our feet so that we didn’t look like we had just stepped into dog poo!!!! Unfortunately I still have two left feet and so am a real trial for Arnold to dance with - as an absolute beginner, I am so focused on getting the steps right that I can’t relax, enjoy and follow his lead!! Still, with about 60 sea days on this voyage - maybe I will even learn enough to dance at Rob and Ruth’s wedding next year without embarrassing them!!!

There are a series of guest enrichment lecturers onboard - each giving a talks on a wide range of topics - Arnold went to the lecture entitled “A new world order - the emergence of the service economy”, which he said was interesting and very well attended.

The Irish Cup 

We spent the afternoon over a long, leisurely lunch with Randy, Carol, Pam and Jim - we had to be asked to leave the restaurant - we had been talking so much we hadn’t noticed that the restaurant was empty and they wanted to prepare it for the evening dinner service.  We partook of  a bit of Vitamin D therapy by the pool, read our books, attended the dicey horse racing and the afternoon trivia session. 

The Sir Guessalot Brains Trust!

We are getting better at trivia scoring 16 out of 20 today - we named our team Sir Guessalot!! Do you know Elvis Costello’s real name? Nope - nor did we!!!!!!

After dinner, the show in the Vista lounge that we saw was a trio of excellent Phillippino? singers - called ‘The Lion’s Den”. We went to their show on Thursday in the Princess Theatre and enjoyed it so much we went again - but they presented a completely different show this evening - fabulous singers who really know how to draw in the crowd - to receive standing ovations. There selection of songs was terrific - and had everyone tapping their feet, clapping and singing along. 

Todays trivia question for you

Q: How many of the world’s ten highest mountains are in Asia?

A: All ten

Posh frocks and ‘technical difficulties'

Today was a very calm day as we cruised along the coast of Queensland under scattered clouds as the temperature continued to rise - we have packed all our warm clothes under the bed - I don’t think we will need them again until maybe Bergen in Norway.

We are slipping into an easy routine every day - took part in the Zumba classes - with Barbara a gorgeous Brazillian girl who really has the ‘Latin American’ rhythm - so much fun - she really had us perspiring by the end of the class - and she says that she was going easy on us for the first lesson!

Tonight was the first Captain’s welcome party and the first formal night - so we all dressed in our posh frocks and dinner suits to enjoy canapes and champagne in the atrium - not sure what the ‘champagne’ was - but it definitely didn’t have any bubbles!!

 The Champagne waterfall is a feature of the Captains party on many cruise ships - a great spectacle - as well as another opportunity for the ships photographers to take and sell photos .... everyone looked very glamorous! I went to the hairdressers to get my hair blow-dried, but I don’t think I will do that again - $39 and I don’t think it was any better than I do it myself - I came back and combed it down before going out!

At our dinner table, Judy was celebrating her birthday so the waiters gathered around, sung the traditional song and presented her with a card and cake... a lovely touch!!!
True to his words to keep us informed, El Capitain’s voice broke in the afternoon trivia session to deliver the news that we had a technical issue with a generator which has had to be switched off. I am not technically minded at all - but we have been assured that it is quite normal to turn off these generators for maintenance - it isn’t a safety issue and we are still on time and course to arrive in Darwin on Tuesday morning where the ‘technical experts’ will assess the situation. As passengers, we have felt absolutely no difference or effect although one gentleman with a Navy Marine background knew all about it cause the wake behind the ship has changed.....

Before we left for dinner, we stood on our balcony to enjoy a stunning sunset over the coast of Queensland.

Trivia Question of the day:-

Q: How many teams take part in the Soccer world cup finals series?

A: 32

Cafe de Paris

Our first relaxing day at sea
Today the seas were relatively calm - about 2.5 m swell and a very cloudy morning - gradually warming up as we moved north - almost immediately that we had crossed the Queensland/NSW border the sun broke through and it was a very pleasant afternoon.

Welcome to the Cafe de Paris

We had a very relaxed day, the highlight was probably a visit to the special lunch buffet. On sea days, the food and beverage department put on a themed lunch. This is in addition to the usual fare available at the Horizon court. I think it is an opportunity for the chefs to showcase their talents.
The theme today was Cafe de Paris, featuring many of the best aspects of french cuisine (according to the information). The photos which follow don't really do justice to the spread.
Set up were four stations - bread, featuring almost every concievable shape and flavour of bread, an amazing array of pates and terrines, a fabulous selection of authentic french cheeses and then... drum roll.... the dessert buffet crafted by the patisserie chefs.
These masters are able to take flour, eggs, butter, milk, flavourings - buckets of cream and lashings of chocolate, chocolate, chocolate ... did I mention the chocolate.... and the cream..... and turn out a magnificent spectacle.... YUUUUMMMM!!! Pastries, Eclairs, Profiteroles, Tortes, Gateaux, Cheescakes, a Meringue Cake (Pavlova in disguise??) looked delicious!!!

Meringue cake - Pavlova in disguise?

In line with my decision NOT to become 'cargo', we toured around,appreciated the talents of these artisans,  took photos and then decided to stick to the salad selection - never fear - their work was not in vain - there were lots of takers piling their plates sky high - I don't know where they put it all!!!

Pate or terrine anyone??

We had a Crazy Cruisers get together in the morning and met the Captain for the first time.. Todd Mc Bain from Canada. If first impressions count, we have been very impressed with him so far. He has a philosophy of keeping passengers informed about everything that concerns the passengers - good and bad. I like his attitude and he seems to be very approachable, personable and friendly.

We enjoy the trivia competition and intend to take part every afternoon on sea days. There was a group of 18 Crazy Cruisers who turned up so we formed 3 teams of 6 players with a bit of friendly ribbing and banter along the way. We had a good laugh that despite the rivalry, each team ended up with the same score - 14 out of 20. Lots of fun.

I am struggling with the extremely slow internet connection here to post photos so will try to work out a way to solve it over the next few days otherwise I will catch up with more photos in Darwin.

Severe Weather Alert.....

Have we got everything?

When we turned on the TV on our departure day, these were the words that greeted us across the bottom of the screen!! Gale force winds lash the NSW coast!! Not to be deterred, we completed the final packing - and the last trip to the shops - as you have to!

Can you see AJ planking on the roof?

Bless the neighbours!! Joanne and Garry have a neighbour who just happens to own a LIMO company and so she drove us to the cruise terminal  - the ultimate start to our trip - sipping champagne in the back of the limo!

Fighting against the wind!

The checkin process was very fast and efficient and we were soon on the ship and into our cabin - our home for the next few months. We are lucky to have a balcony - and I am sure we will make good use of it along the way - but when I opened the door, the wind was so strong that I thought I would be sucked over the edge!

Feeling safer?

We walked around the ship to refamiliarise ourselves with the layout and then took part in the regulatory life drill process - something we hope we will never need - the whole process is a finely tuned drill for the ship’s crew and they certainly inspire confidence.

The sailaway party was scheduled for the pool deck - but mother nature had other plans - it was very windy, freezing cold and wet - the girls from Danebrook Girls Anglican school band set up around the pool and played for the passengers - they are to be congratulated for doing  a fabulous job in very difficult cold wet conditions.

Danebrook Band

We met up with a group of friends and retired to the Wheelhouse bar for our own sailaway party which involved the invention of a new sport - PLONKING!!  

Essential plonking equipment

Our motto - “Plonking - planking for seniors!!” ........It involves having your photo taken with as many different bottles of wine as possible in as many countries as possible - quite a challenge!

During pre dinner drinks, El Capitain, Todd Mc Bain from Canada, announced that we were expecting 7 metre waves as we pass through Sydney Heads - some concerned sighs   were heard as he advised that anyone who wanted to should take their seasick tablets. He also advised that luggage would be a bit delayed in getting delivered to cabins. 

True to his word, the weather did become very choppy as we passed through the Heads, but the really heavy rolling only seemed to last for about an hour till we changed direction  and the wind was behind us. 

Dinner was open seating - where you can sit with anyone - rather than the usual dinner table groups. We met up with a few people we knew to have great dinner - I wasn’t really hungry, but enjoyed the Seafood terrine - so light and tasty.  

There is an old joke usually told by the cruise director where he says that ‘you have come on as passengers but you may leave as cargo.’ There is so much fabulous food available 24 hours a day, with specialty restaurants etc - that it would be very easy to become cargo!

Farewell Sydney!

After dinner, we decided to have an early night - our bags had been delivered to our room so we unpacked, sorted out the cabin and slept very well gently rocked by the movement of the ocean - the seas  so far haven't been as rough as I had expected from this morning's weather forecast - let's hope it stay that way.

After more than 300 days since booking, the journey begins.....

Wednesday 25th May - Board world cruise - Sydney terminal


Yippee!!!!! These are the simple words that greeted me this morning when I picked up my mobile phone beside the bed. It is a cool, overcast wet day here, but nothing will dampen this day for me!!!!


Early on Sunday morning we checked the last items off the to-do list-
* empty rubbish bins
* lock windows and doors
* turn on alarm
After breakfast with Rob and Ruth, they drove us to the airport with a detour to the nursing home to say our last goodbyes to Nelly. The only negative about this trip has been all the goodbyes - especially to Rob Ruth and Nelly - a couple of quiet tears escaped as Rob and Ruth drove away after taking us to the airport - we will miss them a lot but I am sure that the time will pass quickly and before you know it, we will be back. After a very uneventful flight (my favourite kind!!) we arrived in Sydney. 


I read some great packing advice yesterday which I thought you might enjoy - 'PUT ALL YOUR CLOTHES AND MONEY ON THE BED - THEN - HALVE THE CLOTHES AND DOUBLE THE MONEY!!!'    How true!!!


We have spent the last couple of days doing any last minute shopping and catching up for meals with our Sydney friends - staying with Joanne and Garry, friends who also love cruising and are going on the RWC - thanks for your fabulous hospitality - it has been a ton of laughs. 


Arnold created a bit of excitement yesterday afternoon, just as we were about to walk out the door to go for dinner, he realised that he didn't have his wallet and couldn't find it!!! All I could think about was the logistics of contacting all the cards providers etc to cancel and reissue everything in the few hours before we left Sydney. To cut a very long search story short, he finally found it under the corner of the bedspread in our room, must have dropped out when he was getting changed and slipped into a spot well hidden from view.


Last night we went to the first 'official' meet and greet - dinner at the Pyrmont Bridge Hotel in Sydney for about 22 cruisers who had arrived early in Sydney - a contingent on Kiwis and Aussies. If this get-together is a sign of things to come - it will be a great cruise - we met some lovely people and had a lot of laughs.  It certainly didn't take long for the 'ice to be broken' and the decibel level in the room to rise as everyone had travel tales to share.  A very successful evening in my opinion. 


I took heaps of photos which I will post later - I can't find my card reader yet and I don't want to rip everything out of the bags - it is sure to be in the bottom of the last bag - so will put up some photos later after we unpack on the ship!!!!

We are stepping onto the beautiful Dawn Princess in high spirits - determined to make the best of every opportunity and experience that comes our way - we feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to join this trip - just the thought of 104 days without cooking, cleaning, washing and ironing is the stuff that dreams are made of - brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it!! 

Cue Louis Armstrong.....

Taking a break from packing, while sitting quietly on our back deck with a cup of tea yesterday, I started to ponder the question I have been asked so many times over the past week.... "What are you most looking forward to on the cruise"? These words  began playing over and over in my head....              

                            'and I think to myself, what a wonderful world. Oh yeh'!!!!

We are about to experience the diversity of our planet - the people, their cultures, food, religions, landscapes - from deserts,  tropical islands and spectacular cliffs to rain forests, from the riches of the middle east, to the poverty of Asia and Central America, from the antiquities of Petra and the Pyramids to the ultra modern skyscrapers of Dubai....... so much to experience!!
 
.... The whole trip is a dream vacation with so many highlights to ponder... however, before we have even left home, I can confidently say that there are a number of experiences I am looking really forward to....

• Life aboard the ship - with all the indulgences involved
• Meeting new friends who share our passion for travel and experiencing different cultures
• Exploring the cullinary delights unique to the cities we will visit
• Swimming in the glass cage with crocodiles in Darwin
• Visiting Universal Studios in Singapore
• Cruising the Kerala backwaters in Kochi
• Soaking up the chaotic atmosphere of Mumbai
• Experiencing the ancient souks of Dubai
• Wondering at the modern architecture in Dubai and Abu Dhabi
• Catching my first sight of the Pyramids
• Walking through the Siq for my first glimpse of Petra
• Marvelling at the religious significance of the sights of Jerusalem
• Floating in the Dead Sea
• The blue mosque in Istanbul
• Spending my birthday enjoying the Bastille day parade on the Champs Elysee in Paris
• Strolling along the banks of the Seine
• People watching from the cafes of Paris
• Sipping champagne at the Moet bar in Galleries Lafayette
• Stepping back in time at the ruins of Herculaneum
• Finding that fabulous back alley pizza shop in Rome near the Spanish steps
• Strolling in the footsteps of Caesar and co around Rome
• Walking the tracks of Cinque Terra
• Wondering at the creations of Gaudi in Balcelona
• Visiting the minature Dutch village at Madurodam
• Shopping in London - can I still get my royal wedding tea towel??
• Visiting the homelands of my Irish and Scottish ancestors
• Air boat riding in the alligator swamps of Florida
• Watching the cliff divers in Acapulco
• Being seranaded by Mariachi bands in Mexico
• Checking out the waves on Sunset Beach in Hawaii
• Sipping a cocktail while watching the sunset over Waikiki beach
• Swimming with the black point sharks and stingrays in Bora Bora
• Relaxing on the beach in Tahiti

These are experiences that I have dreamed about all my life, and we are finally just a few days from leaving on our 'cruise of a lifetime' to enjoy all this and so much more.

So many memories, just waiting to be made!!! 

Are we ready yet?

Our home away from home for the next 104 days!!

So much to do - so little time!!

During the 2010 world cruise, I read many of the blogs and compiled a to-do list of everything we had to do to be ready to be away for such a long time. 

We have spent the last few weeks ticking things off our to-do list - visiting the doctor, dentist, optometrist, getting our medications updated, getting flu vaccinations, exchanging Aussie dollars into Euros and US dollars, arranging mail redirection, returning library books, and making sure that the computer backups are all up to date and securely stored away.

I read a tip from another cruiser about scanning all the important travel documents to USB drive - we have made two USB's - one to take and one to leave with our son.  We figure that if we lose our wallets, passports, visas etc, we now have a backup which is much more convenient and compact than carrying paper versions of each document with us.

We seem to be meeting up with friends and family for last minute 'catch up's' every day between now and when we leave - as well as the obligatory appointments at the hairdresser, beautician etc.

We have arranged for our health fund, gym membership, Austar and internet service to be suspended while we are away, and the bills to be paid by direct debit or emailed to us so we pay by EFT.

We are flying to Sydney on Sunday, so now we are down to the last minute things - the fridge and freezer are bare and now we can concentrate on all the household security issues - making sure that everything is locked up well. Most of the items on my packing list are out on the bed in the spare room, just ready to be put into the suitcases, on Sunday morning.

Bella, our much loved dog is going to have a holiday with our son, Rob and his fiance, Ruth. It will be Rob's birthday while we are away and I wanted to make sure that he had a gift from us on the day, so we went out yesterday to get his present. (it is well hidden, Rob - if you are reading this - we will email instructions to find it on the day of your birthday). 

In what I would describe as a very optimistic moment, Arnold took his dinner suit to the tailor's to be taken in as he has lost weight since he last wore it - probably on our NZ cruise in November last year. With all the fabulous food onboard the ship - LOL - hope he doesn't have to have it taken out again before the end of the cruise!    

I think that the anticipation and planning are as much fun as the actual trip itself. We have spent many hours on the internet researching the places we will visit and booking private tours in many of the ports - we have found that the tours we book ourselves for smaller groups are more fun and flexible than the larger bus tours which are organised by the ship - and usually about half the price - we can be off the ship and on the road while the ships tours are still getting organised at the meeting point and loading onto the bus. 

In my humble opinion, the ships tours generally cater for those who would rather that someone else takes responsibility for planning their day, and are prepared to pay for it. Often they are also the more 'mobility challenged' passengers who have to rely on assistance from staff etc and complain every time there are stairs or distances to be walked. 

The hardest thing will be to say good-bye to Rob and  Ruth and Arnold's 92 year old mother, Nelly, for almost four months, but with the modern wonders of skype and email, we will be in constant communication. I wonder how people managed before, when letters took months to arrive from overseas - snail mail!!! We are so lucky!!

We are also lucky that we already know a number of fellow cruisers - some we have met on previous cruises - and other we have met through the web site - cruise critic. Despite the name, we are not a group of whingers and whiners - but rather a group of like minded travellers who love to cruise and share their experiences. The site should be renamed - cruise lovers. The group for 2011 has been renamed "Crazy Cruisers 2011" - much more appropriate I think.

 We have joined the Dawn Princess round the world cruise 'roll call' where cruisers who are booked on the same cruise can exchange ideas, thoughts, get information about cruising, plan excursions and generally communicate - not all of the chat is cruise related but lots of fun!! LOL Last year's cruisers check in from time to time, and add their tips and wealth of experience.

We have already met up with a few of the people who are on our cruise - we were happy to welcome Randy and Carol from California to the beautiful Gold Coast a couple of weeks ago and have met up with others in at mini "meet and greets" in Sydney, Broadbeach and even Auckland when we were there - a great bunch of people - so this trip should be a ton of fun!!