Down Under, & the South China Sea

I like to take a lot of thin white coat hangers as you never get enough in your stateroom. I just leave them on the ship when we leave. I like to take some battery-powered stick on lights for the inside of closets, the inside of your room safe, and the inside of the bathroom (the light switch is on the outside so you awaken your spouse when you turn on the light at night). Take a small flashlight or head light for emergencies and for looking under the bed. I take at least a dozen plastic clothes pins and a good string for a clothes line (you usually have a clothes line in the shower already). The thin white coat hangers are useful for drying clothes also. You can not take a clothes iron on a cruise ship; they X-ray the luggage and it will be confiscated. Irons are available in the launderette and there is an excellent one on floor 7. When we unpack at embarcation, Susan & I take a lot of clother and hangers to the lanunderette and she irons everything and I hang them up and keep going back and forth to the room. Take some stickers or pictures and double sided tape to decorate your cabin door. Stateroom cabin walls are metal covered with vinyl. Some really strong magnets are great for hanging papers, clothes to dry, daily activity schedules, and if strong enough for anchoring clothes lines. You always get a terri robe so you don't need to bring one. You will have a combination room safe. The cruise ship lends you a beach towel to take if you go to a beach. Take good sun screen and insect repellant and pack them in plastic boxes or Nalgene bottles for the flight to keep liquids from spilling onto clothes. Take extra glasses and sun glasses. A copy of your vision prescription has been a Godsend to travelers on several of our trips and could come in handy in some ports such as Hong Kong where glasses are inexpensive. There is a large lending library of books and DVD's on all cruise ships we use. I like to have my insulated travel mug. I rip a lot of videos to my computer with Handbrake to view on my iPad. You move videos on & off of your iPad through iTunes. In much of the developing world you bring your own toilet paper with you to public toilets so we carry a lot of small packs of tissues. On most cruise ship shore excursions you can leave your backpack on the bus when you get off to visit sites. Susan carries her own dual voltage curling iron but uses the rooms excellent hair dryer. You might swap photos with other travelers by using an SD card or usb stick so carry a few cheap ones to swap. One of the most important thing not to forget is to take some photo copies of your passport picture page. Because you use the photocopy of your passport rather than the actual passport (which the ship holds for you) you may still need your driver's license or other government issued ID at some money exchanges etc or if you have marked your credit cards "CID". Again, passports are so very essential and valuable (and desirable to thieves)that we seldom have our passports on our person except when traveling between destinations. Bring earphones for iPads, phones etc. Don't forget handkerchiefs. Sometimes I carry a small nalgene bottle (from REI) of concentrated laundry detergent but sometimes we just use shampoo. If you want fabric softner, you need to bring the sheets to put in the dryer.

Be sure and take some bandaids. Carry medication for a common cold, for gastroenteritis, for cuts & scrapes. Carry several types of antibiotics. I like to have some Augmentin, Cipro, cephazolin, and some doxycycline. Take some handkerchiefs. When visiting malaria prevalent areas we choose to take mefloquin but some people have bad dreams on it. We did not visit any places this adventure that were listed on the CDC website as malaria prevelant so we did not take prevention. Don't forget that if you choose to take doxycycline for malaria prevention that it predisposes you to sun burn. We have learned to get medical evaluation of infectious diseases in the area the disease was acquired as so very many local physicians and pharmacists know exactly what is prevalent in that area and it's treatment. I would rather have invasive or surgical care back in first world countries. Know what your health insurance will cover over seas. Oceania has excellent physicians onboard. We were actually on two segments of a world cruise and the people on the whold world cruise get free health care. Take some laxative as you will be less active on a cruise than at home. Sea sickness medication would be a good idea as would cough drops, ear drops, eye drops, etc. If you cruise enough, you will eventually be on a ship during a Norovirus epidemic and you definitely will need onboard medical care. Respiratory infections (colds, coughs, sore throats) are common from the close quarters, mixing people from all over the world, and the airline flights taken to start the cruise so you will very likely have at least one on a long cruise.

We carry two Nikon digital SLR cameras and take Nikon raw photos. Susan uses a 18-200mm lens exclusively and I vary from a similar lens and a Sigma 10-20mm lens. Using different lenses give us the chance to capture different views and particularly the 10-20mm lens allows me to capture buildings or rooms in their entirety without having to get too far back from the subject. We certainly do discard more of the wide angle pictures. The 18-200 is good for standing at a distance and capturing shots of people without being so very obvious but an even longer lens might be better. We have given up using lens filters as Apple Aperture can simulate any of them. I occasionally use a circular polarizer when at higher latitudes but didn't this trip. We also carry on our trips small point and shoot cameras that often we carry to markets and areas where we don't want to take our larger more visible cameras. We carry plastic bags with us for two reasons. When we take our cameras out of air conditioned rooms in plastic bags they don't fog up from the outside humidity as they warm up. The plastic bags come in handy if it rains to stick the cameras in. We import our pictures daily to Apple Aperture and quickly discard (reject) the out of focus or poorly-exposed ones & duplicates. Then we next pick the best of any particular shot. Be sure all of your cameras are set to the EXACT same time to the second. Aperture handles the Nikon Raw files so much more seamlessly than the Photoshop or Lightroom we used to use. The most common adjustment we make in Aperture is white balance. Many light fixtures that in the past were incandescent now have the energy efficient fluorescent or LED bulbs and need white balance changes made. As years go by, we take more and more of our photos with our iPhones. We take a lot of photos from bus windows and set the iso to a very high number and the manual focus to just short of infinity. We usually need to remove a blue tint from the bus windows in Apertures by way of white balance adjustments. I like to use 14mm focal length DX (20 to 21mm full frame equivalent) for my bus window shots and crop if necessary.

Both phone service and WiFi are available onboard at a cost. The phone service acts as a roaming service. We bought cheap Vodafone SIM cards at the Sydney airport that were good for a month and one had international calling minutes we used to call home. We bought both Australian and New Zealand ones and were glad we did. When on our own it is nice to use Google Maps and Siri the same as we do at home. We have Verizon in the United States and we have Verizon activate the SIM card for our iPhones for the countries we visit before we leave the United States. Verizon gives us the rates for the various countries and we keep them in mind. We also have signed up for TravelPass with Verizon so countries that have this only cost us $10 for 24hrs starting with the first call or cellular data used. We use texts and I think Verizon's charge is 50 cents each to send and 5 cents to receive when out of the country. These can (but not always do) go through wi-fi without a cellular connection. We seldom use our phones but carry them with us off the ship for emergency calls. The cruise lines give you a local number to call their port agent in each port. We seldom turn on our cellular data for foreign roaming. We vary as far as how we use the ship's WiFi services. You can buy so many minutes through your computer or iPad. We got free internet on this cruise with Oceania as a promotion. On some cruises we make sure we visit coffee houses or McDonalds when we are in port to use their Wi-Fi. Cruise ship internet gets better every year but we seldom had good enough bandwith to get new Kindle books or audiobooks from Audible or our local library. Australia had good wi-fi in malls and restaraunts that was good enough for reasonable downloads and also app updates but most of the world is amazingly slow unless you buy the right SIM card. We had very spotty service on this cruise on Insignia.
On this cruise we carried two MacBooks (laptops), an iPad, and our iPhones. This allowed Susan to type her story on Microsoft Word and me to edit pictures in Apple Aperture at the same time. We decided that next time we will only take one laptop but will get a keyboard for the iPad for Susan to type her travel story on. The internet plan we were given free as a promotion allowed only one device to be logged onto the WiFi network at a time.

We take only appliances that will run on either voltage and since we are from the US we use small plastic adapters that turn the 220v plugs to our 110v plugs. I carry a couple splitter cubes. We have seen people have power strips confiscated on cruise ships so don't take them. Some plugs only work when the stateroom lights are on or a room key card is in a slot in the room. The Insignia has a shaver 110/220v plug in the bathroom. You don't need to take a voltage converter unless you have an older appliance that is not dual voltage. Be sure and bring battery chargers for any appliances that need one. Most modern chargers will run on both 110v & 220v but check before you come. There are excellent hair dryers on Oceania ships. On the Insignia we had a built in one in the bathroom and a good hand held portable 220v one for use out in the cabin. On the dresser table were two US/Japan style 110volt recepticles and two European style 220volt ones. We each had a European 220volt recepticle at our bedside tables. There is a wake up function for the phone so you don't need an alarm clock. There were charger 220v recepticles provided in the Singapore airport to use but they require a British-style big plug which we didn't have.

We have special travel socks and underwear such as those by Exofficio or Magellan that we can wash out daily and need very few pairs. These usually dry within hours if washed in the room, thoroughly rung out, rolled up inside of towels, and hung up to dry in the stateroom. These dry more quickly inside than outside on the veranda. We also have travel shirts and pants (long & short versions of each) that dry this quickly when hand washed in the room. We carry a small Nalgene bottle (from REI) of concentrated washing detergent for this and I pack this Nalgene Bottle inside a waterproof box or Nalgene water bottle to avoid the consequences of a leak into the suitcase in route. There are usually laundromat services on cruise ships but be advised that these are closed if there is an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness on the ship. The Insignia had a great lanundromat and detergent was provided. Cruise ships offer laundry services at a charge. We have culled the clothes we take over the years to be those with the most wrinkle resistance and to dry the quickest. In many parts of the world, we really appreciate the secure zipping pockets of our travel clothes (safari type clothing). Don't forget your hat for sun protection.
The more years we travel the more we find we can take less and less clothes with us on our trips. Oceania has no formal nights but I find my blue blazer appreciated at times. Some cruise ships are cold so be warned. Even if you don't plan to swim, take a bathing suit as the hot tubs and saunas are wonderful and you might need to work on your tan.

We like suitcases that will compress enough to keep under the bed so they don't take up room in the stateroom. We often carry a thin gym bag in case we buy items that will require another suitcase on the way home. On every cruise we take there are passengers whose luggage did not arrive on the airline and they are stuck without their luggage. We put a couple changes of clothing in our carry on luggage and we almost always go a day or two early so any tardy luggage has a chance to catch up with us. On the flight to catch our cruise I label each luggage item with our final destination for the flight (hotel name) because luggage could get mixed up on the shuttle from the airport (this has happened). When flying through remote third world airports we often choose to pack our clothes in plastic bags inside our suitcases as we have had our clothes soaked with rain or covered in dust in the past. Susan & I mix our clothes in each other's suitcases in case only one suitcase doesn't make the airline flight. I use Nalgene water bottles and plastic waterproof boxes to pack my fragile or liquid items.

We have found that having a couple hundred United States dollars each in one and 5 dollar bills (or euros in parts of the world) opens up so many possibilities to get us good service, pay porters, and buy trinkets. We find out immediately upon entering a country how to tip and who. The US dollar is still king. We split up our credit and debit cards so if we are robbed we can continue our trips.
One of the most important thing not to forget is to take some photo copies of your passport picture page. Because you use the photocopy of your passport rather than the actual passport (which the ship frequently holds for you) you may still need your driver's license or other government issued ID at some money exchanges etc or if you have marked your credit cards CID. I have records of credit card numbers and the international phone number for all cards. We know which ones have foreign transaction fees. Before we leave on our trip we call the credit card company and let them know which days we will be in each country so they will allow the transactions (this trip we did more of this online). We still have cards frozen by the banks when we withdraw large amounts out of the country or make large purchases. This problem is easy to resolve by logging in to the card's web page and checking messages. Keep up with your plane tickets and any vouchers you carry with you. In Europe and Japan in particular be sure your credit cards have been upgraded to Smart Cards that carry the computer chip.
We have taken two month long cruises that we exchanged no money but this trip we were on our own so long in Australia that we got a couple hundred dollars of their currency. Also we exchanged some but less in New Zealand, Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore. At this time one NZ, Australian, or Singapore dollar was worth 76 cents US. Prices looked high in these countries but don't forget you pay no sales tax and you never tip in Australia or New Zealand. ATM's usually give the best exchange rates. Australian money is well accepted in Bali if you have some left over. If you end up getting stuck with foreign coins, exchange them or give them as tips in the respective country as only paper money is exchangeable back to dollars back in the USA. We could get US dollars and occasionally other currencies on the ship charged to our credit card but you pay a fee.
We usually tip our guides in US dollars or, shamefully, in leftover currency from the previous country we had visited.
Keep receipts that show the value added tax you pay in a country as there are places in airports, ports, etc to get reimbursed before you leave the country.

We rented a car in Los Angeles, used hotel airport shuttles in Sydney and Uluru, used taxis in Auckland & Hobart, and used Uber and Lift in the US. Oceania is much better than Holland America about arranging shuttles into town from the docks or tender ports. Many shore excursions will drop us off in town and point out where to catch the ship's shuttle. We spent about $35 Singapore dollars for a taxi ride to the airport and saved over $75 US dollars by not using the Oceania transfer to the airport in Singapore.

We love our travel agent Dianne Blackburn at Gateway Travel in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She usually follows our progress when we fly and has even called ahead and rebooked flights when she knows we won't make connections. We call her from all over the world. We have used her for over 20 years and feel she consistently gets us the best deals. Susan takes whatever deals she can find to her and Dianne tries to get a better deal. Even when we book a cruise etc we make sure Dianne gets credit with the Cruise Line.
In ports we usually have researched what to do half a year in advance. First read what the ship's excursions are and then go to Viator's website and see what the most popular tours are. We got a package of shore excursions from Oceania as a promotion on this cruise but most of the tours, even Hop-on Hop-off bus tickets from our pre cruise travels in Los Angeles, Australia, and New Zealand were arranged through Viator and we couldn't be happier. We did do some Viator trips on the cruise and some places we just were on our own but with a plan. We frequently have to call Viator to verify that they can get us back to the ship on time. There are certain Viator tours for some ports marked "shore excursion" that guarantee getting you back to the port in time or they pay for your flight to your next port of call.
Most of our excursions in Australia and New Zealand, although arranged through Viator, were with ATT Kings and we can't say enough about how great they were in every respect!!!

In most of the world you don't need to carry your actual passport on your person, it is too valuable and should be locked in your room safe. Carry a very good photocopy of your passport and be sure to have a photo of it on your smartphone. Do carry your driver's license as almost the whold world recognizes this as your photo ID for using your credit card. Your lockable smartphone should have on it pictures or pdfs of all your travel documents, your plane tickets, your vouchers, your car insurance, your itinery, and both sides of your credit cards. Set your world clocks on your smartphone for each destination before ever going on a trip. Give someone at home you trust scans or pages of all your documents and passports that they can send, fax, &/or email in case you are robbed. Be sure and log out of all accounts every time you put your computer, phone, & ipad down!!! Most likely your travel internet connection won't be fast enough to back up your photos to the cloud so you will need to back up your photos and data you collect to usb drives, sd cards, &/or portable hard drives which should be kept locked up and separate from the device. You WILL eventually get robbed or lose things if you travel enough. Be sure and break in all shoes before travelling. Always take a photo of your glasses prescription and a list of medicines you take. Always take medications in their original bottles and never never carry any unlabled powders or liquids! You don't want to try to convince a drug enforcement official who doesn't even speak your language that the unlabled medications you are carrying are legitimate and for your own consumption. There are a number of things you could buy legitimately in other countries but are illegal to bring into the US like ivory etc.

You will meet and eat dinner with people who have travelled to places you might want to go so make notes about how they arranged their trip, what is the best time of the year to go, what to see, what to take, how dressy do you need to be, and what type weather to expect. Cruise ships have extensive material on their cruises and experts available and I actually can't remember a cruise we have taken that we didn't sign up for at least one future cruise while on board. You can usually get your very best deal, pay lower deposit, and get special values thrown in if you do this on board. You will meet people you will want to keep up with after the cruise and who may want to share photos with you so make some travel cards with your email, social media, or even phone numbers. The library on Insignia has extensive travel books, atlas, and globes to help you plan. Take advantages of your sea days or time after dinner before the show to plan your next trip.

Long cruises attract people who have retired from work and thus older or disabled people are actively sought by the cruise lines. I would say strides are made every year we travel to allow people with special needs to be able enjoy more and more cruises, ports, activities, and excursions. The activity level of each shore excursion is clearly listed in it's description. There is a growing awareness by crew and staff of what they need to do to make everyone get the most of their cruise. Many ports and countries however have limited resources compared to first world countries and some ports may not be suitable or safe for those with some conditions.
People without those special needs, however, will be more likely to encounter those who have and will be more affected than at home. Common sense goes a long way toward helping and avoiding creating hazards for our fellow special needs fellow passengers. Leaving the first few rows in buses for those limited in mobility is one way to help. Keeping isles clear for walkers, wheel chairs, or those using canes makes good sense. Not assuming everyone can hear or see you is important. Someone who has to hold onto rails may need more room in the hall than you might think. These good habits come quickly if thoughtfully applied. I know I will be appreciative some day when I need to rely on others for my safety & function. I hope you agree!

We couldn't have been more pleased with the entertainment on the Insignia this cruise. Our cruise consisted of two segments of this year's around the world cruise and each segment had a different production cast of dancers, singers, show band, cruise director, and string quartet. There was a pianist/singer in one of the bars for both segments. On this cruise there was only one show at 9:30pm and the showroom was never completely full.