SinbadThePorter

We couldn't get any sort of deal on the minibar. Probably because we went though Room Service. All she would do is to swap the six existing cans for no sugar coke. I said we didn't want the little alcohol bottles either and she said they would take them away. I asked what we would get in return and she said, nothing. I told her we'd keep them. Lesson learned, don't talk to Room Service about the minibar. I successfully got streaming services going on the TV via chromecast. Amazon Prime, ABC iview and Youtube all worked up to a point, unfortunately they were all unwatchable due to buffering. Which is a pity as it worked perfectly on the Ruby in late 2019. So if you are buying MedallionNet be aware that streaming may not be viable.

I got off Coral last Thursday. We had 65% of passenger capacity. Sip & Cover was required but not enforced in the main lounge areas. Which meant that there was probably 90% compliance on the first day of the cruise and 10% on the last. The audience would be told to put on masks if not drinking and some would, but almost all of those would come off again within a few minutes. In the MDR you walked in wearing a mask and took it off as soon as you sat down. Then put on your mask to leave.

Final payment for the Sept 26th Coral cruise to Conflict Islands is next Tuesday the 28th June. I can't see it going ahead, and I don't fancy the idea of multiple visits to Eden and Newcastle. So I'll have to bail and get my deposit back as cruise credits. 😫

I was thinking it was maybe the covid situation in PNG. That Princess had not cleared these cruises with the PNG government and now time has run out. The problem with this theory is that it would have been easier for Princess to take out the Conflict Islands and still leave a 12 day Qld cruise, than to chop up the cruise into 3 small cruises. Now I'm thinking maybe Princess has been spooked by the high covid rates on US cruises and is dropping all long duration cruises. What long duration would mean I don't know, but presumably 12 days is too long. 😟 The problem with this theory is that the 28 day Round Australia is coming up in October. We shall see.

We are on the Sept 26th version of this cruise, which I assume will go the same way. I would prefer the 12 day Qld cruise with Conflict Islands replaced by Townsville and Gladstone.

Just disembarked this morning. If you are wanting to catch a taxi from the cruise terminal, be prepared for a considerable wait. Taxis were very scarce on the ground this morning. I'm not sure many drivers know where the cruise terminal is. On the way in on Sunday I had to direct our driver who had no idea where to go, or that there was anything to go to.

What spooks me about B2Bs is being thrown off if you catch covid.

It's happened at least once before. 😏 Now I have something to extra to look forward to in a couple of cruises.

Only one minibar per cabin unfortunately. You've always been able to swap the minibar for coffee cards or cans of soda, but I've never heard of a soda package being on offer.

Yes x3. 😀

The minibar normally comes with the suite on cruises of more than 6 days. As far as I know, you've never before been able to swap it out for coffee cards and soda packages. I was wondering if this was an inaugural cruise deal.

Wow. That's a great deal. Was it a one off? We are on the next cruise in a vista suite. It would save us having to bring our own soft drink.

There are two Princess cruises out of Sydney in August and September to the Conflict Islands that have got me flummoxed. I can't see how they are going to take place. Or if they do, I can't see what would replace the Conflicts.

I'll go against the grain here and say stick with the cruises. Land trips are very good, but when you are in an unfamiliar country they can be tiring and troublesome. Especially compared with the care free travel on board a cruise ship. There is no way that everything can be seen of anything. So we are always going to get a truncated view of any place we visit. The perspective from a cruise ship is limited, but it's still worthwhile. You are on vacation. Do you really want to have to worry about connecting flights and local road rules? My advice is to maximise your time here with as many cruises as you can fit in. The way not to feel short changed is not to worry about the things you aren't seeing, but to focus on all the great things you are seeing. I was going to add a little joke about how experiencing New Zealand culture is something that New Zealanders also aspire to, but that would be rude. 😎

Would a call to Princess work?

With a strong Westerly like we have you can sometimes get away with sneaking down close along the coast to Jervis Bay.

It really holds back P&O in my opinion. If they would just spend a little more on provender and take a little more care in the galley, they would be far less like a budget cruise line.

Princess have a "Seas the Day" sale on until the 16th June. Inside fares per person: $299, Oct 8th, 3 day Sydney/Eden/Sydney Cruise $299, Jan 24th, 3 day Adelaide/KI/Melbourne $1499, Dec 8th, 13 day Sydney/Fiji/Sydney $1499, Jan 16th, 13 day Sydney/NZ/Auckland

"Public Wi-Fi will be available at the cruise terminal."

I always thought Angelo's was the best dining option on P&O. The food is the main reason I moved on from P&O. I had no real problem with anything else they did.

BYO lollies.

There is a major redevelopment project underway in Northshore and Portside. The entire riverfront from the Bretts Wharf Ferry to the Northshore Ferry is going to be rebuilt in the lead up to the Olympics. They haven't released anything about it, but I imagine that it will include the Portside dock.

One of the common types of power points used by the Chinese is the same as ours. So Majestic had them from the start. They tend to use it upside down, but it's electrically and physically the same.

For me the cruise season always starts when the first Alaska ship gets back from her TransPacific. This year that's October 22nd, 2022.

I think it was Legend of the Seas.