Obilix

What's an "escape room", please?

The name conjures up all sorts of possibilities in my mind, but I'm sure it has a perfectly logical description.

True that, OzKiwiJJ.

I've booked, It'll be great, and if I can'beat 'em, I'll join 'em.

I've had a lot of practice in my youth at the rugby club, after all!

CMV Astor.

Anyone been on one these 2 night cruises out of and returning to the same port?

A friend who has been on one told me of the one he was on being a swim-through event, with a lot of drunks and yobbos making life unpleasant.

The ship we are considering carries 600 passengers, and the one he was on was much larger. Is the size of a ship a factor in this regard?

I'm no wowser, but I don't really relish the thought of being confined to a small area with unsociable, uninhibited and potentially aggressive individuals hell bent on carousing night and day. I can do that for much less at my local rugby club!

Seriously, is it more trouble than it's worth? I have cruised a few times before, and while there has been one occasion where I encountered a nuisance drunk, there has never been any real issues.

A peaceful weekend relaxing on board prior to the Christmas break is still very tempting ...

So I have a question for anyone who has cruised recently on Carnival out of Australia.

I have booked for 7 adults & 4 young kids for a 10 day cruise.

I paid for everyone's cruise fare the other day, and the agent offered $1600 on board credit if I paid an extra $700.

On the face of it, it's a good deal if I can spend it on drinks, coffees, soft drinks etc for all of us. Can I, or is the credit restricted to my cabin or myself only?

Secondly, is any of it which remains unspent refundable?

If not, or if you have to go through a long wait to get it back, does the trick I read about of transferring it to casino credit, and then cashing it in, still work? (Although I can't really see myself as a money launderer, and I don't gamble in casinos, or anywhere else, for that matter!)

Any up to date advice or information is welcome and appreciated.

Of course I'll ask the question of the TA before handing over more money, but the offer was made by email after my electronic payment, and sometimes you don't get told everything by the TA.

We sailed Sydney to Vancouver on the Noordam on a relocation cruise in April 2016.

The price was very reasonable and the cruise was fantastic. It rained for 2 of the 24 days when we were near Fiji due to a cyclone which didn't really affect us, but other than that, it was fine.

We spent a few days in Vancouver and then 5 days in Whistler. The weather was good, and one of the ski slopes was still operating in Whistler.

We then took another cruise along the Inside passage and saw whales dolphins, bears and eagles as well as other bird species either on the islands or the mainland.

We booked the Alaskan cruise through an American agent and got a great deal on the Solstice. Again, weather was fine although colder the further north we went.

We flew back to Australia (Perth) from Seattle.

I hate to make recommendations, as everyone has different expectations and needs, but for an average, reasonably healthy couple in our sixties, with little cruising or North American experience, this was an easy itinerary without stress, and giving us a good degree of flexibility.

We loved the excursions, and mostly made our own (much cheaper) shore arrangements at the dock for the same destinations and activities as were available from the ships.

A holiday is what you make of it. If you go with a spirit of adventure, know your own limitations, financial and physical, and are determined to have a good time, you will enjoy it no matter what itinerary you chose.

I think you just did.

Hi.

Does anyone know the nature of the refurbishment/repairs/ improvements/renovations which are to be carried out on the ship?

I believe that it will be in dry dock only for a few weeks. Even working around the clock, as they do in Singapore, I can't imagine the works will be all that extensive.

My family and I will be cruising to New Caledonia on the Spirit next January, and it would be great if it has received a major face lift!

Thanks again for all your input, guys.

I have taken your advice and seen an agent. She was very helpful, and we are now all booked on Carnival Spirit in January 2019 for a South Pacific Islands cruise.

The agent secured us two connected rooms for each couple with children, one with balcony and one without, so the kids can be on the balcony under their parents' supervision, and have a room for themselves at other times.

Whilst the entire cost was more than I wanted to pay, it was within the budget I had expected, and I received some discount for the group booking.

Thanks again for your comments and suggestions. I took them all into consideration.

Erica, I was talking about myself!

Thanks, Maureen and Bruce.

I am in Australia, so that's one less problem!

I will compare costs in the August school term holidays (two weeks here) but one son lives in Sydney and the other in Perth, while the daughter is still a University student, so the holiday periods between States may not coincide.

The two girl cousins are eight and the eldest boy five, so it's probably only the youngest (that won't have much recollection, though I'm sure he will enjoy.

Sadly, Disney doest cruise from Australia, and the extra cost of travel to the US is more than I can justify. All the children live close to beaches, and I want them to experience something unique and different whilst we can still enjoy it with them.

We will need to discuss the possibility of our daughter in laws' safety concerns with the type of accommodation, which possibility did not occur to me, though.

I will talk to an agent, and seek the best deal I can find.

Thanks again.

Don't discount a hotel in Perth City CBD.

There are any number of acceptable ones to chose from near the central Perth railway station, and a direct and very frequent commuter train will take you to the Fremantle rail station in 20 minutes for about five dollars. From there it is at most a 5 -10 minute walk (approx half a kilometer) to the cruise ship passenger terminal.

I've cruised a few times with my wife, and managed to get reasonable deals by searching and researching on the internet, but never with kids.

Next December we would like to take our children and grand children on a cruise out of Sydney, either to the South Pacific or around NZ. There are 11 of us, 7 adults and 4 grandchildren between 3 and 8 years of age. Cruise duration around 9 - 12 days.

I'm not confident of making the right decisions, both cost wise, and to ensure the kids have a great time without disturbing other cruisers.

What cruise lines can we realistically look at?

Can we negotiate the cost, based on the number of travellers in our package? Is it best to deal through an agent, or directly with the cruise line? Do the children pay full fare or is there a reduction?

Will the kids parents be driven nuts if they are to share a balcony stateroom with their children (2 each) or is there a better alternative?

We have never used the ships pool facilities when cruising (there are enough fat porpoises in the ocean to look at) but the kids will love the pools (under supervision). Will it be too cold for them to enjoy in NZ waters in December?

Any suggestions from the battle hardened would be greatly appreciated.

I'm a relatively inexperienced cruiser, but from what I've read and observed there are a few ways of avoiding exorbitant drinks bills at the end of a cruise.

Of course a lot depends on your drinking habits and tastes, whether you are trying to impress, whether you are embarrassed at the thought of appearing a tight arse, or whether you are so wealthy money doesn't matter. In the latter case of course, what are you doing on a cruise ship when you should have your own personal seagoing yacht?

I fall into the category of having enough money but not too much, and having a wife who doesn't drink but doesn't mind me doing so as long as I don't go overboard (no pun intended). I enjoy basic spirits and an occasional wine and beer, and am so brass faced that what would embarrass me would kill an elephant.

Carefully consider whether a drinks package is for you. Remember that usually both occupants of a cabin have to buy it. Tough if only one drinks.

And if you try to get value for money, your liver probably won't last the voyage. I read somewhere that a basic package has a daily limit of 15 drinks per person. That's the point where the cruise line starts losing money on the drinks package deal. That's also the point where you won't remember you were on the cruise in any event. It should be noted that "safe" drinking for a male means no more than 4 standard drinks a day (some surveys now say 2 standard drinks).

For my next cruise on HAL (24 days) I have pre bought 2 bottles of spirits from the ship to be delivered to our cabin. This comes with 6 cans of mixers. Cost about US$40 per bottle. I could have bought more, but hey.

I will bring on board a couple of bottles of good wine which is permitted, and a dozen or so extra cans of mixers, also permitted.

This will allow me a couple or three relaxing drinks on our verandah a day, and if I feel like a couple of overpriced beers in the bars or an occasional wine with my meal, well it won't send me broke. And while I might try an expensive martini, I don't drink them at home, so why would I splurge on them just because I'm on a cruise?

There is free hot water available on board, and free non bottled drinking water.

The public water supply I drink at home comes mostly from desalinated seawater, so I won't taste any difference. I'll bring a few bottles of water on board and refill them as required.

I'll also bring a few boxes of those premixed cappuccino sachets (or similar), some tea bags and a thermos flask. That way we can have a "speciality" coffee whenever we like, at little cost, merely the bother of filling the thermos.

I don't believe I'm being a miserable bastard, just moderately careful, and will spend what's required on trips ashore, the occasional speciality meal, souvenirs etc.

What do others suggest?

Last October I priced a Qantas one way flight online from Sydney to Singapore for approx Au $800.

I thought it a bit much and found an Emirates flight for the same day/time for approx $400.

Turned out it was the same flight code share with Qantas.

How can Qantas justify this price difference?

It pays to shop around ...

Not intending to run down my own State, but until the last year or two the mining boom meant that the price of everything, including accommodation, went sky high.

The boom has evaporated, but some hoteliers are still living in a nostalgic dream world where nothing has changed and they can continue to charge rip off prices without a conscience.

The only people they can fool these days are the tourists.

The standard of accommodation here is always acceptable, some better than others, but

it pays to shop around, use tripadvisor read reviews and compare. You could save yourself a lot of money that way.

Don't be put off if the place you chose is a kilometer or two out of town. public transport in Perth and Fremantle is good close to the city, roads are excellent and short term car hire is easily available.

Perth and it's metropolitan area, including Fremantle, is situated on a coastal sand plain, stretching about 30Kms wide and 120Kms long. To properly see the place, including travelling to the Margaret River region (south 250Kms) and the Pinnacles (north 250Kms) you will do it with more flexibility and more cheaply with a hire car and a roadmap or GPS. If you are comfortable driving on the left, go for it.

Tourist sites and places are well worth visiting, but they are far apart, with little between them, so a vehicle is essential unless you want to pay through the nose, or simply stay in the central city area. There is plenty to see and visit there too.

Take the phone off her for the cruise and give her nothing. Our generation survived without constant use of mobile communication technology and many of us can lock the phone away on a ship and not use it. She has to learn to separate herself from her phone at some point.

 

I never got my first mobile until I had a job where I could pay for it myself. You will be doing her a favour by taking it off her. She might actually enjoy the holiday more and do things she would not have done with her head buried in a phone screen.

 

Its like weening a baby off a dummy. It is a task that has to be done and must be done. Psychologists believe that younger generations will soon have disorders if they cannot separate themselves from technology.

You had job and bought phone?

Loooxury.

When I were lad we lived in shoe box at bottom of cesspit. No phone at all.

We DREAMED of havin' job and phone.

I once worked two years wid no pay at jam factory for 2 empty tins.

Brootther stole string from butcher just so we could complete link up.

Worked better than Turnbull's NBN though ...

I booked an Alaska cruise through a US travel agency online last February for a cruise this May.

No problems at all.

I have to pay the balance this month, and contacted them re a credit card change. They threw in an additional US $50 OBC without me even asking.

Thats the way I'm going to go again in the future ...

Ah the great Pizza Wars of 2016 ... :)

Your anticipation that you may receive exceptional service in Australia is an interesting and novel concept, but who knows.

I would suggest if you tip at all, you tip in local currency unless you have no other option.

In my experience of human nature, tipping in foreign currency can sometimes be taken as patronizing by the recipient, even if not so intended.

But I probably have it wrong. At the end of the day, do what you think is appropriate.

Your anticipation that you may receive exceptional service in Australia is an interesting and novel concept, but who knows.

I would suggest if you tip at all, you tip in local currency unless you have no other option.

In my experience of human nature, tipping in foreign currency can sometimes be taken as patronizing by the recipient, even if not so intended.

But I probably have it wrong. At the end of the day, do what you think is appropriate.

Excuse my ignorance, but what's the FB site?

Australia (and Western Australia in particular) has the most inefficient, poorly maintained, wretchedly staffed, over priced, and badly designed airport terminals in the world.

The customs/immigration staff, recently renamed "Border Force", like something out of a black humour **** spoof movie, are for the most part belligerent and officious.

Waiting lines are long, slow and tedious.

Do yourself a huge favour. Don't bring in anything you have to declare unless you enjoy wasting a couple of hours or more in a house of horrors surrounded by tired, hostile, aggressive and aggrieved fellow travellers, who haven't heard about Australia's tourist friendly points of entry.