Cruising tips

Press, 6 November 1984, Page 22

Cruising tips

When packing, include clothing for formal occasions such as the captain’s cocktail party. While not essential, ultra-formal evening dresses and dinner suits were worn by a surprising number of passengers. It is also a good idea to find space for an outfit for fancy-dress night, one of the highlights of any cruise. Avoid taking too much clothing: Fairstar provides a reasonably priced two-day laundry service as well as a free lauhdrette. Tours around the various ports of cal! can be pre-booked on board. However, evening dinner and barbecue tours costing sAust36 and more are a waste of money, particularly when superior cuisine is available for no extra charge in the ship’s restaurant. Fairstar has two full-time professional photographers who cover all events on board. Colour prints cost sAust4 each. The ships duty-free shop has a wide range of goods, including cameras, videos, sound equipment, watches, perfumes, and toys at competitive prices. Duty-free alcohol can be purchased at the end of the cruise. New Zealanders who fly to Sydney for their cruise need pay only once the sAust2o departure tax. At the end of the cruise ensure that passports are datestamped by port Customs officials when disembarking. Produce this together with your copy of your cruise ticket at the departure tax window at Sydney airport, and you will be issued with an “exempt tax” stamp. This must be obtained before moving into the airport immigration and departure area.