10 Cabin Checks Every Cruiser MUST Do BEFORE Unpacking. Here’s Why! (Podcast #563)
Gary Bembridge's Tips For Travellers
Most cruisers walk into their cabin, throw their bags on the bed, and start unpacking. Big mistake. After more than 125 cruises, I’ve learnt – sometimes the hard way – that there are a handful of vital checks you should always do before you unpack a single item. In this video I take you inside a real cruise cabin and show you exactly what I personally check the moment I arrive on board. I also explain why it’s absolutely critical to do these checks on embarkation day, when problems are far easier to fix, cabins are still moving around, and engineers are on full standby. Leave it until...
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I’ve Done 5 Oceania Cruises. Here’s What No-one’s Warns You About! (Podcast #562)
Gary Bembridge's Tips For Travellers
I’ve sailed five times with Oceania Cruises across three different ship classes, most recently on a 19-night Sydney to Papeete voyage on Riviera. It’s a cruise line I choose to return to and often recommend. But here’s the truth. I regularly hear from viewers who board expecting something extraordinary… and leave wondering what all the hype was about. So in this video I’m being completely frank about five areas that are often misunderstood, where the expectations created by the marketing don’t always match what people actually experience — and importantly where that really...
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Cruising This Year? Then You Need to Watch This! (Podcast #561)
Gary Bembridge's Tips For Travellers
If you’re planning a cruise in the next 12 months, be warned — cruising is changing, and some of the biggest shifts are happening quietly behind the scenes. Cruising this year is going to feel very different from what many of us are used to. In this, I unpack six major changes every cruiser needs to know, explain why they matter, and show you how they could directly affect your next cruise — whether you’re booking for the first time or you’ve cruised many times before. These are the changes many cruisers won’t realise until it’s too late — and that’s exactly why you need to...
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I've Done 13 Ultra-Luxury Cruises. Here's What No-One's Telling You (podcast #560)
Gary Bembridge's Tips For Travellers
When you pay more for anything — flights, hotels, cars — you expect more. More features, more choice, more “wow”. So when cruisers upgrade from resort lines like Royal Caribbean, to premium lines like Princess, or even small-ship luxury like Oceania, and then spend much more on an ultra-luxury cruise… they naturally expect everything to be dramatically better. But here’s the surprise: for many first-time ultra-luxury cruisers, it isn’t. In this video I explain why so many people I meet on lines like Regent, Silversea, Seabourn and Crystal feel confused or even disappointed —...
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Cruisers Say These 6 Lines Have Got So Much Worse. Here’s Why (Podcast #559)
Gary Bembridge's Tips For Travellers
Are cruise lines really getting worse? Many cruisers say yes. So I analysed hundreds of recent reviews and ratings from Cruise Critic, Trustpilot, and major review sites — and the results were shocking. Over two-thirds of cruise lines have seen satisfaction drop in the last six months, but six once-popular lines have fallen the most… and for reasons you absolutely need to know before booking. In this video, I break down which lines are slipping fastest — and reveal the key issues dragging their ratings down, from ageing ships and overcrowding to service cutbacks, food declines, rising...
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I've Done 15 Caribbean Cruises. Here's What No-One's Telling You! (podcast #558)
Gary Bembridge's Tips For Travellers
When I took my very first Caribbean cruise back in 2007, I often found myself stepping ashore as the only ship in port. Quiet beaches, local markets, no lines for taxis — it felt like true tropical escape. Fast-forward 18 years and 15 Caribbean cruises later, including my most recent ultra-luxury sailing on Regent Seven Seas Splendor, and the Caribbean is a very different place.In this video I reveal the massive changes that are reshaping Caribbean cruising — changes most cruisers don’t fully understand until they’re already there. I also explain how cruise lines are responding — and...
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Regular Vs. Ultra-Luxury Cruises: 4 Big Differences I DID NOT Expect! (Podcast #557)
Gary Bembridge's Tips For Travellers
Are ultra-luxury cruises really worth the eye-watering price? Or is the reality very different from the dream? Most cruisers are fascinated by ultra-luxury lines like Silversea and Regent Seven Seas, but very few have actually sailed them. So after cruising recently on Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Holland America, Celebrity and Princess, I decided to book myself on two ultra-luxury ships – Silver Nova and Regent Seven Seas Splendor – paying the full fare to find out what really changes when you step up to the very top tier of cruising. And what I discovered surprised me. In this video I...
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Cruisers Say These Cruise Lines Are On The Rise RIGHT NOW (Podcast #556)
Gary Bembridge's Tips For Travellers
After sailing on many lines myself recently, and analysing hundreds of cruiser reviews and ratings across Cruise Critic, Trustpilot, and other major consumer sites, I discovered a surprising trend while many lines are sliding — a handful are rising fast. In this video, I reveal the cruise lines that cruisers say are on the rise right now, what they’re getting right, and why ratings are climbing. This is the most up-to-date snapshot of which cruise lines passengers think are improving and why. These trends come from analysing 21 cruise lines covering over 90% of all cruise passengers,...
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8 Widely Held Repositioning Cruise Beliefs Are Wrong. Here’s Why! (Podcast #555)
Gary Bembridge's Tips For Travellers
Repositioning cruises promise incredible value — sometimes half the price of a regular cruise — but after doing several of them (including my recent 18-night Silver Nova Alaska–to–Japan repositioning), I’ve realised many cruisers board with expectations that are completely misguided. And those myths guarantee disappointment. In this video, I reveal the most widely believed repositioning cruise myths that are 100% wrong — and what these cruises are really like. If you’ve been thinking of booking a repositioning cruise because they’re cheap, relaxing, sunny, or just like regular...
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I’ve Been Back On Every "Ultra-Luxury" Cruise Line. Here’s What I Found (Podcast #554)
Gary Bembridge's Tips For Travellers
Ultra-luxury cruising promises the very best at sea – but which line is truly delivering right now, and which are slipping? I’ve recently been back on Seabourn, Silversea, Regent Seven Seas and Crystal, and in this podcast I reveal how they really compare today. Become a Tips For Travellers Patron: and get exclusive Patron-only content, downloads and livestreams Visit my Tips For Travellers YouTube: Offers: Get 10% any order of The Cruise Maps who you visit the site using this link: Get up to 30% off collectible tokens of place you’ve visited using the link:
info_outlineGary Bembridge of Tips for Travellers shares observations, tips and advice for visitors to Sydney in Australia.
Subscribe free to the show on iTunes, Stitcher Radio or TuneIn Radio
This show covers among other topics:
General Observations
- Harbour area around circular quay is magical and the iconic view of Australia and Sydney. Beyond the harbour bay is less compelling and different to any city. Architecture not that exciting.
- Not a big a city in world league just 4 million but is young ( ve age is 36)
- 19% Asian
- Casual outdoor lifestyle and informal
- Mix of colonial roots from UK and American feel
- Festivals important to the city to attract visitors and create excitement and energy - film / food/ mardi gras
- Expensive city - accom, food, coffees, going out etc
History
- Settlement was named after UK Home Secretary (Lord Sydney) when Penal colony was established.
- Year after most of indigenous population wiped out by lack of resistance to European diseases.
- Not the capital - Canberra is. Rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney meant it would be neither.
Getting there
- Lots of flying options.
- Cruise Ships now fast growing way to get there too.
- Need Visa, which can get online.
- Smart Gate Fast track entry for electronic passports including UK, NZ, Swiss, Singapore, US Global entry
- Customs very strict - border control tv show - disease obsessed
Best time
Southern Hemisphere so Summer peak is Dec / Jan and coldest in July.
Getting around
- Traffic quite congested - large use of public transport by locals
- Taxi - expensive , Train system - good, Bus system good and inexpensive - buy ticket or cards at newsagents / convenience stores
Where to stay
Harbour area
Top things to do
Harbour Area
Do harbour tour HOHO or tours from Circular Quay (explain options)
The Rocks
Museum of Contemporary Art - stunning building - renovated and expanded 2012
Explore the icons
Sydney Harbour Bridge - bridge walk - 4 hours long short 1,5 hour
Opera House - behind scene tours and backstage tours -
Visit the beaches
Bondi - use 333 bendy bus - train to Bondi a Junction then bus
Manley - harbour trip there scenic - surfing - snorkel - penguins
Darling Harbour
Buzzy and busy with many tourist attractions:
Sealife Aquarium
Australian National Maritime Museum
IMAX
Madame tussards
Powerhouse Museum
Sydney Tower and Skywalk
Shopping
Westfield Sydney
Queen Victoria building
Pitt street - the 5th Ave of Sydney
Oxford street
Other
Olympic Park Tour
Gardens - Hyde park, Botanical gardens, Chinese gardens
Luna Park