Quick addendum

Courtesy of Princess Cruises, we were able to book another (yes, folks, one more!) cruise in September — Sydney, Melboring, Port Lincoln, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, Sydney. All right. We hadn't really unpacked from the last one, so a quick suitcase refurb and we're off. After all, we're heading south this time, AWAY from the storms and rough seas.

Wrong!

The cruise to Melbourne was the way a cruise should be — languid days, relaxing nights, food, wine, meeting "old" staff again. Bliss.

A-a-a-a-nd, just before Melbourne we hear, "Due to inclement weather, we will be staying in Melbourne a little longer than scheduled".

No probs! We jumped on the tram that, fabulously, terminates at the cruise terminal, and spent the day in town. Found a wonderful little lane jam-packed with cafes and had a brunch/coffee. Back to the ship, where we hear, "The weather has worsened, and we'll be staying in Melbourne a little longer". Oh.

Two DAYS later, still in Melbourne, we are talking to a couple at dinner. After the usual small talk, I ask how they're enjoying the cruise.

"We're not! It's bloody boring!"

"Oh. Why?" I ask innocently. "Where are you from?"

"Melbourne", comes the reply between clenched teeth.

Yep, they had got all prepared, flown to Sydney, got on the ship, cruised to Melbourne ... and sat there for three days!

So, with Adelaide and Port Lincoln off the menu, we finally departed for Kangaroo Island. What a beautiful place. And the wines were superb. (Guess how we know!)

Then it was back to Sydney and head for home.

OK; fast forward to now and we're offered a cheap cruise on P&O (Plain and Ordinary) Australia up to New Guinea and back. Terrific. We get to call into the Island of Love ... Kiriwina Island. EXCEPT, last week it was reported there was a tribal massacre there, and 30 people were killed! OK, might stay on board there.

Then, out of nowhere, we were offered a cruise on Royal Caribbean from Sydney to NZ and back ... free, gratis, no charge, not even one red cent to pay. Of course we considered it carefully. For long nanoseconds. Then Di elbowed me aside to get to the phone. Done. Booked. Only problem, it leaves from Sydney the same day we sail back into Brisbane.

Pfft! We dock at 6.00 am and the next cruise doesn't leave until 6.45 pm. Oodles of time. Then came the email saying we wouldn't be docking now until 8.00 am ... and our boarding time for the next cruise is now 4.30 pm. And there's a time difference.

I know, I know, first world problems.

But if anything goes wrong, and we DON"T make it on time, my next post could be quite ... ummm ... acerbic.

 Back on a ship!! For a while ...

OK, so it's been two-and-a-half years since we last cruised. And we both were suffering withdrawal symptoms. So when the chance came up for a local (Australian domestic) cruise, we jumped for it.

Twelve days up and down the east coast on the Coral Princess. Drinks package included. Bring it on!

Vaccinations uploaded? Check! ID? Check. Flights booked? Check! Let's go. The bonus was that the ship called in at Sydney for the day, so we would be able to see our daughter who now lives there, and catch up with friends from a previous cruise.

Flight over was business class on points — give me more, please!

Embarkation was methodical but slow in Brisbane and then we were on board. First order of events ... hit the nearest bar for two martinis! NOW we know we are cruising again. I didn't know whether to kiss the deck or the captain first! But I chose my wife instead. Wise move.

Saw our daughter and our friends in Sydney and had a wonderful day. Except for one tiny, teeny, weeny detail ... Madame Lash picked up Covid there. I stayed stubbornly negative. She was asymptomatic after the first night.

Right, said the ship medicos. You can stay together in isolation for eight days in your cabin, or you (meaning me) can have a separate cabin so you don't catch it from your wife. We decided that would be a good idea, so I shifted. Problem! I was now a "close contact" so I had to isolate for eight days as well! So our wonderful cruise, that we had anticipated for so long, was spent with us locked away and only able to wave at each other from our balconies.

Mind you, I must admit room service was pretty damn good! Especially as far as the drinks were concerned. (Well what else are you going to do!!) A glass of white for lunch; a martini at 5.00 pm, two reds for dinner; a Jagermeister and a Drambuie after dinner and goodnight sweet prince!

On a more serious note, I noticed my legs bloating and my thighs starting to ache from inactivity, so I started a regime of squats and walking on the spot. I'm not convinced it helped.

Then, about the second last day, the storm hit us. Howling winds and rain, swell, confused seas, whitecaps — and I loved it. Just enough movement to, literally, rock me to sleep at night. The downside was my cabin started to leak under the balcony door/window — quite badly — until there was a centimetre or so of water sloshing between the door and my bed.

To add insult to injury, Brisbane Pilot Station said on the Friday we were due to disembark, "Sorry, too rough. Port closed".

So, for two days we cruised in circles up and down the coast until, finally, on Sunday — yay! — the pilot boat appeared and we docked four hours later.

By this time I had had five tests and come up negative every time, so I had been out of jail for 24 hours — but Madame was still inside! I was allowed to fly home on the Sunday, but Madame was constrained and taken to a motel for further isolation until Tuesday, when she finally flew home.

We both have nothing but praise for the way the Princess crew handled this and treated us. It was superlative!

The big question — has it brought us to our senses and put us off cruising?

Hell NO!

We're both pissed off that our next cruise (September) has been cancelled by the cruise company, but we're actively looking for something to replace it. Meanwhile, our next three cruises (one after the other) are in March-April next year: two river cruises (Europe) and one sea cruise (Mediterranean).

Let's hope the world has regained some sanity by then!