Welcome from David and Lyn.

The format of our site is in three parts:

1. Blog server - our day-to-day travel blogs (this website)
2. Photo server - some of our key photos
3. YouTube channel - our videos (many linked directly from our blogs)

The site includes hundreds of searchable travel blogs. Some of our longer trips are listed below. 

General travel

• Bridge cams - Princess
• Unofficial Travel Awards
• Equator Crossings
• International Date Line

About

• David
• The Thalassophile (lover of the sea)
• The Musician - Uke resources
• The Presenter
• The Photographer
• The Ham (VK4DCP) - Ham resources
• The Vexillophile (flags)
• Lyn
• Countries visited: #1 to #25 | #26 to #50 | #51 to #75 | #76 to #100 | #101+
• Summary of cruises - Pre COVID-19 / Post COVID-19 

Thank you for visiting our website.

Best regards

David and Lyn
e-mail: brizzy@outlook.com.au

Cruise countdown

2027 Fiji Cruise - Blog Starting Page

2027 Circle Pacific Cruise - Blog Starting Page

Links to major adventures
2026 - Ultimate European Odyssey - Paris to Prague Blog - Apr 2026 to June 2026 Cruise #1 - Normandy & Gems of the Seine Cruise #2 - Enchanting Provence, Tuscany & The French Riviera Cruise #3 - Bordeaux Affair Cruise #4 - Unforgettable Douro Cruise #5 - Jewels of Europe Prague city stay
2025 Pacific North America Cruise Blog - Apr 2025 to June 2025 Cruise #1 - Sydney to LA Repositioning Cruise #2 - Pacific Wine Country Rocky Mountaineer - Discovery Circle Cruise #3 - Voyage of Glaciers (Northbound) Cruise #4 - Voyage of Glaciers (Southbound)
2024 - World Cruise on the Coral Princess Blog - Apr 2024 to Aug 2024 Photos Segment #1: Sydney to Tangier - 35 Days Segment #2: Tangier to Dover (via Baltic) - 21 Days Segment #3: Dover to New York - 18 Days Segment #4: New York to Brisbane - 38 Days
2020 – Indian Ocean & South Africa Odyssey + Southern Australia Explorer Blog - Jan 2020 to Mar 2020 Photos
2019 - Hawaii, Tahiti and South Pacific cruise on the Sea Princess
Blog - Aug 2019 to Oct 2019 Photos
2018 - World Cruise on the Sea Princess
Blog - Jun 2018 to Sept 2018
Photos Segment #1: Brisbane to Dubai - 19 Days Segment #2: Dubai to London - 30 Days Segment #3: London to New York - 20 Days Segment #4: New York to Brisbane - 37 Days
2017 - Cherry Blossom cruise (a.k.a. China - Japan cruise)
Blog - March 2017 to April 2017 Photos
2016 - World Cruise on the Sea Princess
Blog - May 2016 to Aug 2016
Photos Segment #1: Sydney to Dubai – 20 Days Segment #2: Dubai to London – 35 Days Segment #3: London to New York – 11 Days Segment #4: New York to Sydney – 38 Days Home Leg: Sydney to Brisbane – 2 Days
2015 - Hawaii, Tahiti and South Pacific cruise on the Sun Princess
Blog - Jul. 2015 to Aug. 2015 Photos
2014 - South East Asia on the MV Voyager
Blog - Feb. 2014 to Mar. 2014
Photos Leg #1 Treasures of Asia Leg #2 Colours of the Indian Ocean
2012 - Caribbean cruise on the MV Voyager
Blog (by Lyn) - Nov 2012 to Jan 2013
Photos (by David and Lyn) Leg #1 Voyage to the Caribbean Leg #2 Caribbean Gems Leg #3 A Tapestry of Central America
2011 – Far East cruise on the MV Discovery
Blog (by David) - Dec 2011 to Feb 2012
Photos (by David) Leg #1 Treasures of the Orient and Vietnam Leg #2 Empires of the Sun Leg #3 South East Asia and Australia
2010 - Caribbean cruise on the MV Discovery
Blog (by David) - Nov 2010 to Jan 2011
Photos (by David)  Leg #1 Discovery of the New World Leg #2 Colonial Trails of the Caribbean Leg #3 Tales of the Old Spanish Main
2009 - Grand Voyage of Discovery from Mumbai (India) to London on the MV Discovery
Blog (by David) - Mar 2009 to May 2009
Photos (by David) Leg #1 India and The Persian Gulf Leg #2 Red Sea and Eastern Mediterranean Leg #3 Black Sea, Turkey and Greek Isles Leg #4 European - mainly the Mediterranean

2026 - Ultimate European Odyssey - Paris to Prague (56 days)

Menu

• Introduction
• Map of cruises (zoomable Google map)
• Cruise #1 - Normandy & Gems of the Seine
  
• Cruise #2 - Enchanting Provence, Tuscany & The French Riviera
• Cruise #3 - Bordeaux Affair
• Cruise #4 - Unforgettable Douro
• Cruise #5 - Jewels of Europe
• Prague city stay
• Overall Snapshot - Scenic “European Odyssey” Grand Journey
• Other Key Links

Introduction

The adventure begins 10 April 2026 when we board our flight to Paris for the start of the 2026 Ultimate European Odyssey. This blog will be updated when we return to Australia in June.

This adventure covers 56 days in Europe on 6 ships, and includes:

• Hotel - Sofitel Le Scribe Paris Opera (3 nights)
• Normandy & Gems of the Seine - Scenic Gem (10 days)
• Hotel - Boscolo Exedra Nice (1 night)
• Enchanting Provence, Tuscany & The French Riviera - Scenic Eclipse (7 days)
• Hotel - Intercontinental Bordeaux (1 night)
• Bordeaux Affair - Scenic Diamond (7 days)
• Unforgettable Douro - Scenic Azure (10 days)
• Jewels of Europe - Scenic Jewel (7 days) & Scenic Jade (7 days)
• Hotel - Cosmopolitan Prague (3 nights)

Cruise #1 – Normandy & Gems of the Seine

Snapshot of this leg:

• Scenic Gem (capacity 126; 56 crew)
• Passenger details - 111 passengers (68 Aussies)
• Cabin spacious
• French champagne in the bar fridge on arrival.
• Staff were awesome and always happy, and the food was exceptional.
• Scenery very pretty along the river.

Cruise #2 – Enchanting Provence, Tuscany & The French Riviera

Snapshot of this leg:

• Scenic Eclipse (capacity 228, although limited to 200 in the Polar Regions; 187 crew)
• Passenger details - 191 passengers (56 Aussies)
• Beautiful ship also known as “a discovery yacht”.
• Cabin was spacious, bathroom lovely (much bigger than our ensuite at home), and a nice size balcony. 
• Food at the specialty restaurants was fantastic. Chef’s table was unique and very theatrical.
• Very happy with the unexpected US$1,000 each to spend on the ship (presumably because of the Grand Journey). We filled the space we had allocated in our suitcases for gifts with some lovely clothing and a few other non-essential items.

Cruise #3 - Bordeaux Affair

Snapshot of this leg:

• Scenic Diamond (capacity 149; 60 crew)
• Passenger details - 127 passengers (44 USA, 43 UK, 22 Aussies, 11 Canada)
• Ship slightly larger than the Scenic Gem.
• Cabin not quite as spacious as the Gem … built in 2009 (refurbished 2017).
• We felt the scenery along the river wasn’t quite as beautiful as the Seine, but still lovely.
• The focus of this cruise was the wine of the region and world war related excursions.

Cruise #4 – Unforgettable Douro

Snapshot of this leg:

• Scenic Azure (capacity 97; 43 crew)
• Passenger details - 81 onboard (61 Aussies)
• Cabin spacious
• A much smaller ship, which was wonderful … a little more intimate. 
• Staff mostly Portuguese and all fabulous … you could sense their camaraderie. 
• Loved the fact that the Cruise Director and tour guides work on the ship and are all passionate about Portugal. 
• We think the Douro has the prettiest scenery along the river.
• We loved everything about Portugal, and overall this was our favourite cruise.

Cruise #5 – Jewels of Europe

Snapshot of this leg:

• Scenic Jewel (capacity 163; 57 crew); swapped to Scenic Jade (exactly the same size and layout as the Jewel) halfway due to low water levels.
• Passenger details - 163 onboard (123 Aussies)
• Cabin spacious and only slightly bigger than the other Space Ships.
• Lounge and restaurant areas are much larger, and acoustics aren’t great. A bit noisy at times, especially in the dining room.
• We have been taken very good care of overall by Scenic, however, even more so on this cruise … our butler said they were trying to outdo the other ships! Well they certainly did! Beautiful flowers, chocolates, biscuits and a bottle of champagne on arrival, and canapés daily. Also an invitation to dinner at La Rive, which is usually only offered to Diamond guests.
• Mostly cruising until lunchtime, which gave us a bit of a rest in the mornings.
• Overall, the scenery was beautiful, particularly the Rhine Gorge.

Prague city stay

Overall Snapshot - Scenic “European Odyssey” Grand Journey

• Hotel accommodation along the way was five star. 
• All the balcony cabins were lovely and spacious. We would definitely recommend a balcony cabin if you are river cruising as the scenery is truly beautiful at times.
• We found the butlers on the river cruises very engaging and helpful.
• Staff to passenger ratio on the Eclipse was 1:1, but we felt staff on the river cruises to be more attentive 1:2 ratio (or 1:3 on the Jade and Jewel).
• When we booked we were told that we were entitled to one bag of washing per cruise, so we packed accordingly. When we arrived we were advised that washing was complimentary daily as part of the Grand Journey … a real bonus. Less than 24 hour turnaround too … amazing. Wish we had known this in the beginning as we would have packed less, so we could buy more!
• Food was very good on all the ships, but overall we found the French cuisine on the Seine to be the best.
• Love the fact that Scenic are “quiet” ships … announcements are only made for really important information, otherwise you have to be on time or you miss the tour. It’s also the guests’ responsibility to tap on and off the ship … an easy process. 
• The quiet boxes (listening devices) provided are very effective and make the tours much more enjoyable.
• Would we recommend a Grand Journey? Yes, if you have the stamina! For us, we thought it was perhaps a week or so too long.
• Be mindful that the Eclipse is the only ship that offers medical facilities. All river cruises do not have this on offer, which means you have to rely on medical facilities on land. This can be particularly challenging, not only due to language barriers, but also when you are only in port for half a day most days. Lyn had a video link call with an Air Doctor (for travellers) during the last cruise … very helpful and only AU$100. The crew were also very helpful to find chemists, organise taxis, etc.
• We give Scenic 5 stars as they took care of everything … flights, transfers, and accommodation … the whole process was seamless. All we had to do was get to and from Brisbane airport. The Grand Journey was a bit expensive, but worth every cent.

Other key links:

• Just the photos:
• Cruise #1 - Normandy & Gems of the Seine
• Cruise #2 - Enchanting Provence, Tuscany & The French Riviera
• Cruise #3 - Bordeaux Affair
• Cruise #4 - Unforgettable Douro
• Cruise #5 - Jewels of Europe
• Prague city stay
• Full list of blog pages
  
• List of videos (link opens YouTube page):
• Leg 5: Museum Mill in Schermerhorn - 21 May 2026 (0:17)
• Leg 5: Scenic Enrich Concert - La Redoute Recital Hall, Cologne - 22 May 2026 (1:01)
• Leg 5: Siegfried’s Musikkabinett Museum, Rüdesheim - Circus music - 23 May 2026 (0:25)
• Leg 5: Siegfried’s Musikkabinett Museum, Rüdesheim - Six violins - 23 May 2026 (0:28)
• Leg 5: Rothenburg - Medieval Festival - 25 May 2026 (0:31)
• Leg 5: Executive Chef describes main course for Table La Rive - 26 May 2026 (0:54)
• Leg 5: Scenic Enrich Concert - Palais Lichtenstein - 31 May 2026 (0:32)
• Leg 6: Prague Astronomic Clock - 04 June 2026 (1:08)

Prague, Czeh Republic - Thursday, 04 June 2026
Prague is the capital and the largest city of the Czech Republic situated in the middle of Bohemia on the Vltava River. It took the city eleven centuries to get the look they know today. Nowadays it covers an area of 496 square kilometres and has approx. 1.4 million inhabitants. It was inscribed as a cultural world heritage site by UNESCO in 1992. Prague's historic center is one of the few cities in Europe to survive the Middle Ages.

For more photos / album slideshow:

Prague, Czeh Republic - Friday, 05 June 2026
David decided to join the final tour of our journey this afternoon to Prague Castle, which is one of the largest castle complexes in the world. Also a visit to St. Vitus Cathedral (the grandest cathedral in the Czech Republic), the Old Royal palace (former residence of Bohemian Royalty), and the picturesque Golden Lane.

For more photos / album slideshow:

Prague > Munich > Singapore > Brisbane - 06-07 June 2026
This morning it’s time to farewell Prague and fly home. Thank you to the fantastic crew onboard the Scenic Spaceships and the Scenic Eclipse who certainly made this holiday more wonderful … five stars from us. A snapshot of our journey and each of the Scenic ships is included on the 2026 - European Odyssey starting blog page.

Reference:

• Wikipedia: Prague, Bohemia, Czeh Republic
• Wikitravel: Prague, Czeh Republic

Homeward bound:

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Budapest, Hungary - Tuesday, 02 June 2026
Beautiful sail in to Budapest this morning … the Parliament Building looking particularly spectacular.

For more photos / album slideshow:

Budapest > Prague (via Slovakia) - Wednesday, 03 June 2026
Petr (you have to roll the “r”) our tour director, accompanied us on the coach from Budapest (capital of Hungary) via Bratislava (capital of Slovakia) to Prague (capital of the Czech Republic) travelling along the main continuous highway network connecting Budapest to Prague, which runs roughly east to west (then north). The journey covers about 525 km and takes roughly 5.5 to 6 hours by car. Including lunch and a rest stop, it took us 8 hours.

For more photos / album slideshow:

Reference:

• Wikipedia: 
• Budapest, Hungary
• Bratislava, Bratislava Region, Slovakia
• Wikitravel: 
• Budapest, Hungary

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Vienna, Austria - Sunday, 31 May 2026
Vienna is the capital of Austria and a centre of art, music and culture. The city fostered the musical geniuses Mozart and Beethoven, and has lots of charm with magnificent Baroque buildings, ample green spaces, a vibrant coffee-house scene, and masterpiece-filled galleries and museums.

For more photos / album slideshow:

Vienna, Austria + Bratislava, Slovakia - Monday, 01 June 2026
David decided on the coach tour to Bratislava, Slovakia’s capital since independence in 1993. This modern multicultural metropolis has an intriguing history. The glorious Old Town and well-preserved hilltop castle contrast with its brutalist socialist architecture. The city felt like it could be a party town with lots of bars and clubs. It certainly wasn’t as crowded as many of the major cities we have visited. You could see remnants of the old Soviet system, such as the trams and their favourite foods.

The bus trip from Vienna to Bratislava passed through a huge wind park with many hundreds of wind turbines in every direction … as far as the eye can see. Austria has over 1,400 turbines, the world’s 17th largest producer of wind power, and we were told there are around 860 in this region.

For more photos / album slideshow:

Reference:

• Wikipedia: 
• Vienna, Austria
• Old Town Bratislava, Bratislava, Bratislava Region, Slovakia
• Wikitravel: 
• Vienna, Austria
• Bratislava, Slovakia

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