Carnival Spirit cruise, August 2014 (Pt I)

This was my first cruise with Carnival and I knew very little about what to expect, so it was a little bit exciting discovering this new ship.

Carnival Spirit cruise (Pt II) - Ports of Call

PORTS OF CALL

The ship's three ports of call in New Caledonia were, in order, Noumea, Lifou and Mare.

Pacific Dawn cruise, Feb 2012

This was my first P&O cruise and I didn't have to look far to find it, as the Pacific Dawn calls Brisbane's Portside Cruise Terminal its home.

Cruise from the Gold Coast to Brisbane? It's possible...

In early 2011 I had a couple of weeks off and decided I wanted to play tourist in my hometown of Brisbane.

Food, glorious food...cruising and your waistline!

For those of you reading this who are seasoned 'cruisers', you'll know all about the weight gain once on board (let's refer to it as WG from here on in, so it's not staring us in the face!). For those of you about to embark on your first cruise, listen up...

South Bank - an oasis in the middle of Brisbane

South Bank Parklands is one of Brisbane's most popular cultural and social locales, with around 11 million people visiting the precinct each year.

XXXX Brewery tour - 'look, listen, learn'...then have a beer!

Depending if you come from outside Queensland or outside Australia, the reason XXXX is called XXXX is because Queenslanders/Australians can't spell 'beer'.

Yatala drive-ins...a great night out!

I stepped back in time...and went to the drive-ins.

USA, Canada and Alaska Travel Expo - touring Australia

The USA, Canada and Alaska Travel Expo is touring Australia - and it's free!

The Hilton Sydney - five stars in the Harbour City

I recently had an overnight trip to Sydney and stayed at the Hilton hotel.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary - a little haven

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is the world's first and largest koala sanctuary.

CityCycle: the quick and easy way to get around Brisbane

I've been wanting to investigate the Brisbane City Council's CityCycle scheme for some time.

Ramada Ballina - and Ballina township

I'd stayed at the Ramada Ballina in 2011 and loved it, so decided to go back for another visit.