Russell21

17 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Princess cabins aren't the best of the mass market lines, especially since they removed those chairs from the balcony cabins. However I think they have some of the best storage, especially for clothes in that walk-in wardrobe area, but not in the bathrooms - I really liked Celebrity Solstice for bathroom storage as everything except what you left on the counter was in drawers or in a narrow cupboard which seemed much more secure in high seas.

Worst bathroom has to be the shower in the balcony cabins on the Coral Princess, actually a mini shower as far as we are concerned.

18 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

This is my final tribute of love and respect for Granny (my name for Lynn's mom).

Obviously been made by a very skilled Joiner. 

If the previous cruise was to NZ and the cruise you are boarding is going to NZ again, you may receive a notice that boarding will start at 3.00PM. This is because of the number of people who boarded at Auckland and are entering .Australia and needing border clearance.. This happened to us a few weeks ago but we actually boarded just before 2.00PM.

11 hours ago, mum and son said:

I had to accept the cruise contract on the web version. It would never let me accept via the app, even after I pretended to read the contract!

I did the same thing and it worked, when I went back to the app I was able to give my wife permission to bill my debit card. Both are now Blue lane except that I have to renew our passports later in the year, fingers crossed.

One would tend to think that a company as Large as the Carnival Corp would be able to either themselves develop or hire a developer to construct a WORKING APP. I updated to the new app and it worked fine for our last cruise, however having recently booked a new cruise I am having problems.

It clearly shows my current debit card but will not accept it to finalise that point. It also won't download the Cruise Contract so I can lie and say I've taken the trouble to read it for the 10th time. I mean really FFS what is going on?😡

BACON, a problem not isolated to just the Royal, but to Princess in general. Usually Princess has English Bacon and US Bacon in their Horizon Court but on our very recent trip to NZ on the Royal it was only US style bacon available. Now this would be no problem if it was cooked either soft, or crispy like US strip bacon is supposed to be. However they have managed to come up with a new style that my wife has named "Neglected Baseball Glove". Best described as tough leather in the softer parts with hard as a boot sole in the tougher parts with an occasional rare sign of crispness now and then that borders on tooth breaker. Come on Princess, you can do better than that. Apart from that problem all else was fine, service was great as usual, dining room food was slightly below pre coved days but still very good. Some of the pre covid Platinum benefits that were free are now either charged for or non existent. All in all a good trip.

13 hours ago, Hogbay said:

Can you remove gratuities 🤣🤣🤣is that savin money .

That is just being a miserable tight bas...d.

I just asked for opinions on a possible situation. The responses were quite an introduction to the variety of personalities on the forum. 😉

21 minutes ago, gbenjo said:

Staggered boarding times are designed to alleviate the long check in lines. If everyone were to adopt the “I’m smarter and sneaker than everybody else” and turn up earlier than their designated check in time then who would be the first to whinge about the long lines at check in?  Yes, a lot of times the flow for check in is fast and these nominated times can be “ adjusted” but not always the case and is dependant on the circumstances on the day.

True, but Royal Princess carries 3560 passengers, and with boarding starting at 3.00PM, and the notification states that everyone has to be onboard by 5.30PM, it seems like to me a great recipe for a crowd.

16 minutes ago, mum and son said:

Doesn't it cost the cruise line a lot more to remain at the dock beyond their scheduled departure time? I don't know the reality but someone did say that to me when we were waiting for a couple of pier runners in Puerto Vallarta a few weeks ago.

They can choose either departure time, but it must not be during peak hours due to the increase in ferry traffic.

Am I being cynical by thinking that the recent 2.00PM and 3PM boarding times on Princess, which are claimed to be for Immigration reasons, are nothing but a penny pinching exercise along the lines of the other things that are now being charged for. Just think of all the food not required for Lunch on the first day! 🤔

Anyone else get an email regarding the change in departure time, and boarding time changed to start at 3PM?

I faintly remember old Navy ships were moored in Athol Bay when I was a Kid, (many many years ago 🙂 )

Very sound advice from OzKiwiJJ, a veteran of many many cruises.

Once I realised that it would only let me log in with my next booking number everything went smoothly. All the details for my wife and I were transferred, including all dining bookings.

We are cruising on the 5th February, I wonder how we will be?

On 12/3/2023 at 11:57 AM, arxcards said:

I scored a free one with the Woolies rewards app a few months ago. OK for a mince pie, but I would still prefer a 4 pack of Mrs Mac's at a similar price.

We absolutely love the National pies, and their Pasties are pretty good too. Cant beat the pastry.

2 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

Where can I buy some.🤣

1 hour ago, Aussieflyer said:

People have different priorities. Comparing mass cruise lines with the smaller ones isn't oranges and oranges as you say.  I do find there is a difference in both the quality of food and the level of detail on the inclusive lines and am happy to pay more for a better product. YMMV

It's a bit like Holden and Mercedes, good vs excellent.

7 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

I don't think the OP is on the ship. The way I read his/her post is that he/she was quoting someone else. Apologies to anyone who thinks I should say 'their' in this current day of Woke.😁

Would you like my opinion of the whole woke situation. 🙂

RC Australia phone number is 1800 754 500 give them a call. It's free.

15 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Anything that fits an Apple Airtag fits the medallion. We use these which we can clip on bags or belt loops. Bought through Amazon Australia.

 

So do we but ours are all black.

I pay with my phone, but I still carry my card and some cash.

Thanks folks.

I use a CPAP machine for Sleep Apnea, and need distilled water for the machine. Does P&O provide distilled water the same as Princess and Carnival do?