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Please note: All photographs and or
written materials remain the property of Sheree Zielke and may NOT be copied in
whole or in part without the expressed written consent of the photographer.
Wrist Candy
Designer Bracelets by Sheree
coming soon! Sheree designs comfortable beautiful bracelets using
re-purposed vintage beads and new Swarovski crystals.
Sheree is also a re-seller of popular Swarovski beads and hot-fix crystals.
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Russian Pottery
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Check out my eBay
store.
Sheree's Treasures Trading Hands.
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Vintage Barbie
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Check out my eBay
store.
Sheree's Treasures Trading Hands.
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Disney Collectibles
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Check out my eBay
store.
Sheree's Treasures Trading Hands.
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Hawaiian Treasures
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Check out my eBay
store.
Sheree's Treasures Trading Hands.
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Vintage Toys & Dolls
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Check out my eBay
store.
Sheree's Treasures Trading Hands.
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Fine China
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Are you stymied by Photoshop?
Are you mystified by Photoshop?
Would you like to learn to use Photoshop in a fast, friendly and fun
way?
Then click
HERE! |
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Australia & New Zealand
2008
(onboard the Celebrity Ship - the Mercury)
To see a variety of blog entries
detailing this trip, see my
Picajet
Blog.
Please note: These images are NOT public
domain; they belong to Sheree Zielke.
Please ask permission first if
you would like to use a photo. Or please visit the link below where
you can buy stock photography. |
Photos by Sheree Zielke
Shot from onboard the "Mercury" cruise ship! Not from Australia, but
Alaska. I can hardly wait to take sunrise shots from the other side of
the world this coming January.
| A vanity thought-let:
Does your soul grieve as you drive by a sight you know would make a
great photograph? Then you are a kindred spirit. Are you
using a digital camera yet? If not, or you are thinking of
buying a new one, read these
TIPS!
-Sheree- |
|
Love traveling?
Maybe some of my past trips can be of assistance to you while you
plan
your next adventure.
Click on any link below.
Australia bound in 2008! With Africa and South America in our sights!
|
Photos by Sheree Zielke
This photo was taken by David Thiel, my husband of 20 years, at a
Renaissance Faire, about an hour outside of New
York City in Tuxedo.
Well worth a visit! For any age!
A vanity thought-let:
I keep my silver hair color because I believe that what God hath
wrought, let no man bleach, dye or otherwise profane.
And besides, I just realized I am a cute little old lady with my
silver hair. Here's my
published take on
Gray Hair!
-Sheree |
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August 13, 2007
Should a travel addict be expected to resist
when presented with an unbelievably good price to a faraway place?
Especially when a favorite cruise ship is being offered as part of the
package? Well, of course
not.
So, when
Travelzoo Canada sent an
email advising of a deal through CruCon Cruise, we jumped at the chance.
The offer outlined a January cruise to both Australia
and New Zealand, onboard the Celebrity ship, the "Mercury," a ship we know
well, since it is a ship where Sheree has been a featured "edutainment"
presenter. |
August 15,
2007
It didn't take long for us to do some
fast comparative shopping to discover that just the plane ticket was equal
to the price being offered for the entire 12-day cruise, including plane
fare.
We grabbed the deal, and just in time, too, since we
prefer a cabin with either a large window or a balcony.
Balconies were sold out, but we got a premium room in one of our favorite
parts of the ship, at the back near the kids' play area. There is an
almost private deck area, great for tanning; it's an area very few people
occupy.
Speaking of kids and cruise ships -- here's a published article on "Cruising
With Kids." |
August 15,
2007
More research about "visitor entry"
requirements was in order. A few minutes later (and $20 each) we had
our Australian visa application approved. We are now the proud owners
of Reference numbers allowing us to freely visit Australia for up to 3
months. (Our numbers are good for a year.)
* New Zealand does not require anything special from Canadians traveling
onboard a cruise ship.
Mercury deck chairs awaiting passengers and gorgeous warm sunshine.
View of the pool area onboard the Celebrity Mercury. |
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October 9, 2007
I checked "My Celebrity" profile today and
discovered that the shore excursion to the "Lord of the Rings" movie site
had not actually been booked. So, $438 later, we are booked to tour
the Lord of the Rings shooting location in Wellington, NZ and do a wine
tour, too. Two of our most favorite things.
Should be fun. |
October
31, 2007
My husband and I are very concerned about our
flight arrangements. We have usually booked all details of our trips,
individually, allowing us maximum choice and control. But with CruCon
we are at the mercy of the agency and the cruise line. Although we
have asked again and again for information on the flight from Canada to New
Zealand, non has been forthcoming. So, I was pleased to find this
site,
http://www.newzealand.com/travel/Canada/
which says a flight to New Zealand from
Canada is non-stop and only 12 hours. That would be a relief since we
were not looking forward to 24 hours in airports and plane time.
By the way, the New Zealand site has great videos and the most user-friendly
travel planner. You simply must try it.
Here are a couple of links specific to Auckland, NZ, charmingly known as the
"City of Sails."
Tourism Auckland
Trip Advisor -
Auckland Cruise Pier
Cruise Critic - Auckland
(Not Auckland -- it's Naples, Italy in 2006. I
took the shot from our cruise ship balcony. Love those balconies.) |
Are you planning a trip to New Zealand? Do
you want to know more about cruising there?
Here's a link to a
comprehensive cruise ship list
for cruising in the New Zealand/Australia
area.Here's a link for the
airlines that fly to New Zealand from
Canada.
Here's a link for information on a
Canadian's passport and visa needs when
visiting New Zealand. Unlike Australia, there is no additional entry
fee charged to cruise ship passengers.
Want to know what your money is worth Down Under?
Here is a
Currency Converter. As of November
2007, the Canadian dollar was worth about $1.40 New Zealand.
And here's a list of
major ports in the New Zealand area.
And here is a downloadable map of both the North and South Islands.
Download Map (553 KB PDF document)
Tips for Cruise Ship Travel? Try
these.
Cruising: Activities for Seniors
Choosing the Right Cruise Ship
Why Cruising is the BEST Vacation Value
Dining Onboard a Cruise Ship: What to Expect
Cruise Ships: Good and Bad Expectations
Cruising with Kids: Fairytale Adventure
Cruising Checklist: Common Sense Things You Should
Remember
Cruise Ship Amenities: More Than You Imagined Possible
Seasickness: How to Avoid When Cruising
Cruising Misconceptions: Avoid These Common Mistakes |
November 13, 2007
Finally, with just a little prodding of
CruCon via a quick email to Britney, we now have our flights.
(Thanks to new cruiser friend, Brenda, who
advised us that flights had been assigned.)
We
were excited to
see we were to arrive in Auckland, New Zealand TWO days prior to sailing;
this was very good news as we prefer to have a little down time before
boarding--it allows us to explore a foreign city, and catch our breaths
after a long flight.
HOWEVER.
according to Britney at CruCon, our arrival date is misleading. While
it says we arrive on the 4th, because of a 21-hour time difference, we actually arrive around 6 AM on the 6th.
Aw shucks! The upside is that we gain back the day we lose on our
return flight.
Here's our flight
plan:
Jan 4th -
Air Canada - Calgary - 12:50 - 3:10
Jan 4th - Air New Zealand - Los Angeles - 8 PM
Jan 6th - Arrive Auckland International - 5:45 AM
Jan 6th -
Shuttle from Auckland airport to the
Princess Wharf, near the Viaduct Basin, to board the Celebrity Mercury
(a 30-45 minute trip depending upon traffic).
If you are traveling via cruise ship, be sure
to check in at this site:
Cruise Critic. Make some new friends,
garner inside information, ask a question, share some information.
It's an excellent site for cruisers--novice and veterans. |
November 13, 2007 cont'd.
My husband and I are VERY picky when it comes to seat
selection, especially with very long flights. To ensure my
legs don't swell up, I get up and down
constantly, so a window seat is NOT an option making seat selection a must.
Here's the scoop.
(Thanks to Britney at CruCon for all her help.)
Britney says we should contact CruCon about 30 days
out, at which time the flights should be finalized enough for CruCon to
provide clients with a "Passenger ID number."
At that time, with a
"Booking
reference number," we MIGHT
be able to pre-select our seats. Apparently, some airlines don't allow
for this, so we'll have to wait and see.
I am going to try booking the seats myself, through
Air
New Zealand, as well, once I get our ID numbers.
(Nice idea -- but NO go! Air New Zealand does not allow for seat
pre-selection on its international flights. Will have to wait for
CruCon.)
(UPDATE: January 22, 2008)
Booking through CruCon (as opposed to booking everything yourself) created
some interesting seating arrangements on the flights.
My husband and I (as were many other couples) were seated apart from each
other on all three legs of our return trip. This was not a great
experience, but we negotiated with seatmates to get seats together.
We hope CruCon and Celebrity can do something about this odd seating of
fellow travelers for future trips.
|
November 22, 2007
Seems that a lot of us are curious as to what will
happen in the Milford Sound, Dusky Sound, and Doubtful Sound port stops.
Our times in port are so short, it's hard to believe there is time to do
much else, but look at the view from the ship's railing. That's okay
with us if the visit is anything like a visit to the Hubbard Glacier.
The views from the ship are glorious.
Here's our Celebrity timetable:
Dusky Sound: 8-10 AM (2 hours)
Doubtful Sound: 11:30AM - 1:00PM (1.5 hours)
Milford Sound: 4:30PM - 6:00PM (1.5 hours)
Doesn't look like much time for any shore excursions.
My thanks to "Cathy" on CruiseCritic.com for this link to
Milford Sound.
Here is an update to the "Sounds"
mystery. "Annatoo" with CruiseCritic had the following to say:
"Fjordland "Cruising" is exactly that ...just like the Norwegian Fjords.
Wonderful views (if not foggy and wet
).....no docking. ENJOY"
Thanks! |
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Are you planning to take photographs during your
cruise? Do you have a new digital camera, or are you a fairly new
user? Perhaps some
digital camera tips
are in order.
Sheree is a digital camera and photography teacher.
Check out her digital camera tips at the
PicaJet site.
(Typical gathering of beach bums and beach babes in
Mexico. I love this photo!)
******************
Searching for a decent hotel? Use Internet
travel sites like
Travelocity and
Expedia --
they have always served us well, no matter where we were off to.
Our compliments to
Travelocity, who refunded money to us after a
bit of a mix-up on a hotel we booked in Rome. Seems we were sold a
single instead of a twin. For our inconvenience, Travelocity honorably
covered the error with real money. |
November 23, 2007
On the subject of photography...
I have decided to offer an impromptu digital camera tutorial class onboard
the Mercury for the any interested CruiseCritic folks taking the Auckland to
Sydney cruise with us.If you are
interested, contact Sheree via
EMAIL.
By the way, "Cathy" with CruiseCritic advised that
Melbourne, Australia (where we anchor on January 16th) offers up amazing
photo ops.
Here's what she has to say, "don't know if you
have already organized tours in Melbourne but you would appreciate the tour
along the great ocean road.
The photo opportunities are endless."
|
Tips for Cruise Ship Travel? Try
these.
Cruising: Activities for Seniors
Choosing the Right Cruise Ship
Why Cruising is the BEST Vacation Value
Dining Onboard a Cruise Ship: What to Expect
Cruise Ships: Good and Bad Expectations
Cruising with Kids: Fairytale Adventure
Cruising Checklist: Common Sense Things You Should
Remember
Cruise Ship Amenities: More Than You Imagined Possible
Seasickness: How to Avoid When Cruising
Cruising Misconceptions: Avoid These Common Mistakes
 |
|
December 12, 2007
Hmmm! Where are those airline tickets
and ship documents? This is making us a tad nervous.
When we have booked cruises through other
companies, we have always had our documents in a very timely and prompt
fashion.
What's up with CruCon?
I have emailed them twice now; hopefully
they will send me information soon.
*****************
Heads UP!!!!
Be sure to check your credit card
statement after getting back from your cruise.
Here is an excellent link detailing some shady dealings by the Royal
Caribbean line following a cruise.
Wise advice here!
|
December 18,
2007
Woo-hoo, we are good to go.
The cruise documents are now safely in our hands -- we just pulled them out
of our mailbox. Whew! (breathing sigh of relief)
But that's not where the good
news ends. I just had the most heart-warming conversation with
Mary
at the Call Center in Auckland, New Zealand.
In spite of being awake since 4
AM, and in spite of it being Mary's birthday, she pitched right in and
assisted me with reserving seats on the Los Angeles to Auckland flight -- no
muss, no fuss. Just a pleasant woman, with an exotic pleasant accent.
Happy Birthday, Mary...and many many thanks for your help!
(PS Mary says to be sure to have a drink at the Opera House bar
in Sydney, and watch the world go by.)
If you are Canadian, and you
want to pre-book your seats on the Air New Zealand flight, call this
number: 1-800-663-5494. (The number CruCon will send you is only good in
the USA.)
My thanks again to fellow
cruiser, Brenda, for all her persistence, hard work, and creative research!
|
January 22, 2008
We are back after nearly 24
hours of airport and flying time.
All in all, the trip was fabulous, but a
more detailed report appears
HERE.
Subjects covered include:
 |
CruCon
(Issues Explored) |
|
Celebrity
|
| New Zealand Ports |
| Australia Ports |
| Flights |
| Seating Arrangements |
| Interview with CruCon rep, Judy
Leighton |
| Beefs and Bouquets |
| Advice for future cruisers
To see a variety of blog entries detailing this trip, see my
Picajet Blog. |
|
|
Did you enjoy
this overview?
Please send me an
email
with your comments. |
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