Shazzajoy

I am a bit leery now having experienced my 1st sea sickness bout on a recent Dec cruise Aust-NZ-Aust and now wondering if maybe I might be silly doing a Syd-Tassie-Syd run in Mar 2016. Our room steward on our Dec cruise said in his experience the Tassie run is always rough much rougher than he has had on NZ cruises.

 

Anyway just thinking and always love to hear the CC thoughts.

 

The Tassie cruise is more about the cruise than Tassie as we have been and enjoyed quite a few Tassie vacays in the past so maybe I should look at another destination....

Have just returned from a cruise to Tassie. Bass strait was like a millpond both going down and coming back. However on a similar cruise a couple of years ago it was very rough. So it's really just the luck of the draw as to what it would be like for your cruise.

I wish all of you who are cruising over this Christmas holidays a very happy Christmas, plus a safe journey with calm seas.

People like us staying home, I wish a Happy Christmas with lots of wonderful cruise experiences in 2016.

Thank you all for contributing to this thread, especially icat2000, for starting it;).

Just want to add my thank you to icat2000 for starting this thread and contributing so much. I always enjoy reading what bargains become available and your posts are so helpful for those who are not as savvy at researching things on the different websites.

Hi,

 

I'm going on Voyager next Wednesday the 18th and love massages but they are so expensive at like $170 or something like that. Why are they so expensive?

 

Does anyone know if you can get cheaper massages at ports such as Vila and Noumea where we are going?

I totally agree with you. I would have loved to have a massage on the cruises I've been on, but the prices are just so over the top. I pay about $70 per hour on land and expect to pay a premium at sea, but NOT that much over the normal price !! And yes, there are cheaper massages at the ports. I just looked up a well known review site, and one Thai Massage place in Vila gets excellent reviews, and I'm sure there would be similar places in Noumea. However, whether you would be able to get an appointment on the spot as a walk in - not sure about that ??

Oh yes David, the amazing cake shops, but no need to go to St Kilda,

there is one in Lonsdale Street which is just as good.:)

Hi Awesome girl, I am on a cruise in a few weeks that stops in Melbourne. Can you please tell me the name of the Cake Shop - or if you don't know which end of Lonsdale Street it is situated or any landmarks around it so that I can ferret it out. Thanks.

Yes, it is the same for RCL as well.

That's great news. Thank you.

Hi, Does the same thing apply to Royal Caribbean Cruises (i.e. can you drop your luggage off early and do some sightseeing and board later in the day?) thanks.

Thank you, is there much to do at yorkeys knob if we dont want to go into Cairns? happy for a wander up and down the street, sit with an ice cream and look at the water. Is it similar to palm cove?

Sorry I can't answer your question accurately as I went into Cairns for the day. There is a nice sandy beach there. I don't think there were any Resorts as there are at Palm Cove. It's quite small, but nice and flat so would be easy to walk around.

Thanks for that info. I'm assuming you went to Airlie Beach and Port Douglas as well. Were any shuttle buses required here or are you pretty well in town when the tender docks.

There were shuttle buses at both places. However, both Airline Beach and Port Douglas are within walking distance from the Marina to the town centres. I walked in both places, but from memory, I think the shuttle buses were about $5 per person (not a 100% sure though).

Was on the Sun Princess last week. There are no robes in the rooms, but the information supplied in the cabin said to ask the Steward if you would like robes. They are waffle robes - nothing flash, but they do the trick.

Will be on a Princess Cruise up to Port Douglas and have a stop at Yorkney's Knob. Notice we will be tendered ashore. Does anyone know if shuttle buses are provided to take cruisers into Cairns? Thanks

I have just returned from the Sun Princess cruise which called in to Yorkey's Knob last week. The locals put on shuttle buses to take you in to Cairns. The cost is $15 return. They take you from the Marina where the tender boat lands and drop you in Cairns on the Esplanade near the lagoon. The shuttles then run regularly back to the Marina at Yorkey's Knob.

I have been on a couple of "domestic" cruises - i.e. to North Queensland and Tasmania. When I researched travel insurance, I was advised that especially for medical, you needed to be covered as though on an overseas international trip because the ship's Doctors are international Doctors - they don't come under the Australian Medicare Umbrella and they charge international rates. Again, from what I've read here on other CC reviews, they charge like wounded bulls.

I was toying with the idea of a thread, either here or on the main Princess board, for Princess fans... the Canadians have started one.

What are your thoughts?

Love the idea!!

I have caught the train from the airport many times and have always found it convenient, fast, and efficient. There is also a small Coles Supermarket within the Wynyard Station Complex where you could pick up some water etc.

Yes Yes and No

 

Yes there were shuttles to take guests to White Bay if / when they arrived at the OPT. They ran all day

 

Yes. you can drop your luggage off at the OPT and then be taken to White Bay on the coach

 

So No you did not have to take it to White Bay ( just like I said:))

The day went smoothly and although there was a delay in getting the first ferry over ( not sure why) the ship left only an hour later than originally scheduled We were expecting to still be boarding pax at five o'clock but finished well before that.

Thanks again gbenjo. Your information has been so helpful.

Yes it will be "interesting" tomorrow with the Solstice's first White Bay check in turnaround but I think with all the planning involved it should be OK:confused:

The fear of the unknown will no longer exist after tomorrow:D

Hi gbenjo - firstly let me say how good it has been to read information on this thread from someone who works onsite and can tell us what's happening. Can you please tell us what happened with the Solstice's first White Bay check in - were there some shuttles to take

people who turned up at OPT to White Bay and could you leave your luggage at the OPT or did you have to take it to White Bay?

Hi Shazzajoy,

I found the air conditioning to be pretty good. Generally I feel the cold but on this cruise air con was really fine. There were a couple of nights I chose to wear long sleeves to the dining room but I probably would have been fine with short/no sleeves.

 

Anyhow, it was not like on some cruises where I have felt the need to wear a shawl, jacket or jumper because I was cold.

 

There were however, some people I noticed around the ship with light jumpers on but I think they may have been on an outside deck where the breeze at times was a bit cool.

 

Hope this helps :) Enjoy your cruise!!:D:D

Thanks so much for your helpful advice which will help me in knowing what to pack . Glad to know the temperature is kept at a pleasant level.

Annenic - glad to hear you had a great cruise on the Century. Am going on her soon. Can you please answer a question about air conditioning in the public rooms. Was the air conditioning at a comfortable temperature, or was it on the cold side? Just want to know what to pack. I've found on some cruise ships that the public areas are quite cold even if it's warm outside - so not a great idea to pack short sleeve clothes to wear at night. Other cruise ships have been quite a comfortable temperature. Just wondering about the Century?

I've been on the Carnival Spririt - and yes, you need a card with a magnetic strip on it. I took my Fly Buys card and used that. Made it very easy. Can't speak for the Carnival Legend though - not sure if it's the same on the Legend.

Rydges Hotel, Sydney Airport has a day rate. It's situated right outside the international terminal, but has a free shuttle to and from the domestic terminal to the hotel.

Am I right in thinking that for those folk who missed their flights due to the late arrival of the ship, they would not have been covered by their travel insurance?

Thanks everyone for your helpful answers.

Hi, We are travelling on the Celebrity Century in a couple of months leaving from Sydney and I'm a little confused about what currency will be used on board to charge our onboard accounts. Will it be in Australian Dollars or American Dollars?

We went on a Carnival cruise in August and loved the disembarkation where you could walk off with your luggage. Going on our first Celebrity cruise in a couple of months. Do they have the same "walk off" option?

We will be on a Carnival Cruise in a couple of weeks. On our cruise last year, we took the Tchoo Tchoo Train Shore Excursion and loved it. This year, we were thinking of doing our own thing and going to the beach at Lemon Bay. I've looked on Google Maps and it says it's only 3.4 kms from the Cruise Terminal to Lemon Bay which is certainly walkable. My question is - has anyone done this? Are there footpaths to walk on all the way? And do you think it's safe for 3 women to walk it? (I've just been reading that some folk have felt intimidated in Noumea??)

Nope - I also put in the Seniors Discount