A retro illustration of Ben in a captain's hat celebrating with two friends and cocktails on a cruise-ship deck.

Brisbane · 27–30 November 2026

Ben's 50th

Three nights afloat

The invitation

Ben's turning fifty, so we're throwing him a party on a boat. Three nights out of Brisbane, sailor hats on, pineapples up, our favourite people packed onto one gloriously oversized ship.

Tell us you're interested
Good times on board, illustrated pineapple and anchor

The best part

You only need
two days off work

We sail Friday afternoon and dock back in Brisbane on Monday morning. Take the Friday and the Monday, and the weekend does the rest of the work. That's the whole reason we picked these dates.

Two days of leave. One long weekend. Three nights at sea.

Retro illustration of a captain's hat, life ring, anchor, ship's wheel and sailor scarf.

Decision time

Can you
make it?

Say yes now and we'll hold you a cabin. Nothing to pay yet, we just need the numbers.

Say yes

Deposit by Wed 29 Jul Final payment 10 Sep

Retro illustration of colourful tropical cocktails with fruit and paper umbrellas.

The ship

Enormous and faintly ridiculous

Quantum of the Seas carries about 4,900 people and is the most over-equipped ship sailing in Australia, which is exactly what we want.

Retro illustration of a grand ocean liner cutting through the waves.

  • North Star

    A glass pod on a crane arm that lifts you 90 metres above the ocean.

  • RipCord by iFly

    An actual skydiving simulator, on a boat.

  • SeaPlex

    Bumper cars, roller skating and a basketball court, indoors.

  • FlowRider

    A surf simulator, for the brave and the easily filmed.

  • The Solarium

    An adults-only pool deck, 18+ and free to everyone. Our recovery zone.

  • Bionic Bar

    Robots make the drinks. They are slower than a person. It's still funny.

There are no ports on this one. We sail out, spend two full days at sea and come back, so the ship is the whole point.

What it costs

Roughly, all in

All figures are approximate and shown per person.

Approximate cost per person
Ocean View Balcony, twin share$1,129
Return flights, Melbourne to Brisbane$300
Transfer to the terminal (shared van)$30
Drinks, a nice dinner, bits and pieces$390
Roughly, all in$1,850

The estimate uses the Ocean View Balcony at $1,129 per person, based on two adults sharing.

The interior and ocean-view rooms cost less. The flight estimate is still a guess until we book, and the price usually drops the earlier we book.

View suggested rooms One-page PDF, 883 KB. Opens in a new tab.

Room prices were captured in July 2026 and may drift, so treat them as a guide rather than a quote.

Three main choices

Pick your room

Average per person, based on the selected two-adult rooms shown in the PDF.

  • Interior with Virtual Balcony

    $869 avg pp

    Room 11229 · Mid · Deck 11

  • Spacious Ocean View

    $899 avg pp

    Room 11500 · Forward · Deck 11

  • Used in our estimate

    Ocean View Balcony

    $1,129 avg pp

    Room 11628 · Mid · Deck 11

In the fare

  • Your cabin.
  • The main food: dining room, buffet, pizza, burgers and ice cream.
  • Every show and nearly all the activities.
  • Taxes, port fees and tips.

Not included

  • Alcohol and soft drinks.
  • The fancy restaurants.
  • Wifi.
  • Flights.

There's no unlimited drinks package on a cruise this short, so it's pay as you go at the bar. Beer is around $14 and cocktails are around $22.

Retro portrait of Zoe in sailor whites and a captain's hat.

The dress code

Sailor whites & pineapples up

This is a themed one, so pack a costume. Think anchor hats, sailor stripes, nautical anything, and a pineapple worn with pride, upside down, obviously. Bonus points for commitment.

There will be a deck party, and there will be photos. You do not want to be the one in a polo shirt.

  • Sailor hats.
  • Whites and navy stripes.
  • Upside-down pineapples.
  • Anchors aweigh.
Retro illustration of Ben and four friends in pineapple shirts and sailor outfits smiling together on the cruise-ship deck.
Visual forecast This, but with Ben at fifty.

The plan

Your three-step commitment

  1. Tell us now

    Tell us if you're interested so we can reserve the right-sized block of cabins. A yes, a no or a probably all help.

  2. Pay the deposit

    By Wed 29 July 2026

    Pay the travel agent by Wednesday 29 July 2026 to secure the available $300 discount on a balcony cabin. Cabins next to each other go first, so acting quickly gives us the best chance of sharing a corridor.

  3. Make the final payment

    By Thu 10 September 2026

    The final payment is due to the travel agent by Thursday 10 September 2026.

Then book your flights

Book your own flights once the cabins are confirmed. Fly up Friday morning; boarding is mid-afternoon. Coming home is a very early Monday start, so aim for a late-morning flight.

Nothing's booked yet. We're working out numbers first and will reserve the cabins together.

Questions, wobbles, dietary requirements or fear of heights: ask Zoe.

The guest book

Who's getting on the boat?

Ben, Zoe, Melanie and Claire are setting the tone. Add your name to the crew.

Retro illustration of Melanie in a sailor outfit holding a cocktail on a ship's deck.
“Three nights, zero responsibilities, maximum chaos. I’m in.”
Melanie Yes, I’m in
Retro portrait of Ben, the birthday boy, in a pineapple shirt by the ship's rail.
“Fifty looks better from the pool deck. See you at the bar.”
Ben Birthday boy
Retro illustration of Claire in a sailor dress holding a cocktail on a ship's deck.
“Swimmers, sailors and the occasional legend. My kind of people.”
Claire Yes, I’m in
Retro illustrated portrait of Zoe in a sailor hat and navy-and-white outfit.
“I’ve got the cabins. You bring the sailor hat and questionable decisions.”
Zoe Chief instigator

Joining them

Rounding up the manifest…

Can you make it?

Get on the manifest

Tell us now so we can reserve a block of cabins.

Already said yes?

Pay deposit

Skip the guest book and open the A$60 Luma checkout. $50 goes to the travel agent.

Your first name will appear in the guest book.

Can you make it?

Add a short reaction for the guest book.

Cabins sleep up to three people, at roughly the same price per person.

Tell Zoe anything useful for planning.

Your first name, response and reaction quote may appear in the guest book. Cabin preferences and dietary or access needs stay private.