cruiser3775

Yes, that's been my experience, because I usually pack enough clothes for seven days, then organise washing if the trip is longer. So, even for longer than a month, my luggage weighs much the same. I find that all the extra travel aids I take fill more of the suitcase than the clothes and shoes.

I loved Te Puia in Rotorua. It was more expensive than the other place (can't remember the name), but it had so much to offer, with the traditional Maori crafts schools to visit, the traditional welcome entertainment, then that beautiful walk down into the thermal valley with the geysers and bubbling mud pools, and, the highlight for me, actually seeing a real live kiwi as it foraged for food. Then you had to add in the cost of driving from the port into Rotorua, which is a long drive. We also visited a kiwi fruit farm on our way back. I thought I got value for money.

Don't be deceived by the map in post #28. It looks like the cruise ship terminal is right next to the airport. You can actually see parked planes close by. Unfortunately, to get to the terminal building from the BICT, you would have to drive across the runways. The road route goes around three sides of a square, and is about 12 kms. When I took the shuttle bus organised by the cruise line, it dropped us off a five minute walk from the terminal building. I'd allow 30 minutes from the port to airport check in. www.google.com.au/maps/dir/Brisbane+International+Cruise+Terminal+-+BICT,+1+Cruise+Terminal+Dr,+Pinkenba+QLD+4008/Brisbane+Airport+(BNE),+Airport+Dr,+Brisbane+Airport+QLD If you have lots of luggage, make sure you buy some extra luggage allowance in advance. Buying it at check in is very expensive. Also check the size/weight restrictions, which are stricter in Australia.

I started with Princess for my first cruise, then moved to HAL. There are some differences, but I enjoy cruising with HAL. Agree some of their ports are different.

You need at least a 2.5 hour transfer time from one international flight to another. You need to allow for late arrivals, which happens often. You have to collect your luggage and pass through customs and immigration. It can be a long distance between airport gates. If you arrive on a very early flight. say 0500 or 0600, I'd say you would be safe enough. But can you not buy the flights on one ticket? If it's all on one ticket, the airline has to be responsible for getting you onto the second flight, so transfer times can be shorter. Your other option at the end would be to fly Brisbane to Sydney, and then to Auckland. This will give you a much greater choice of flights.

Yes, I had read all the reports on P & O Au and had not considered that company. But I was looking for somewhere to cruise over my birthday, which I find difficult since I became a solo traveller, and P & O had a cruise that just fitted nicely, including a couple of ports that are new to me. I'm not expecting miracles for the price I paid. I learned a lesson when I took a cruise on Carnival Splendor, which was being bagged by everyone. I actually enjoyed it enough to book another one on the same ship. Definitely a matter of individual taste, expectations and your degree of tolerance. I think.

I liked it. I did Vancouver to Sydney last October on HAL. Great cruise!

Thanks for the trip report. Always good to hear about other cruisers' experiences. Coral Princess is so far my favourite ship, and I know a lot of people here just love it. I'm doing my first P & O AU cruise later this year, so will be interested in making comparisons.

That has changed. When I was there in December 2022, they had installed the EFTPOS system. Princess didn't warn passengers. I meet a man who had to catch a tender back to the ship so he could get his credit card to pay for a snorkelling trip he had booked. Fortunately, he had enough time to dash back and still be able to take the tour.

It is mostly to do with using a card at an ATM to withdraw money, but there is also the problem of fake credit card readers which actually scan your card and capture your PIN. Always keeping it in your sight is not enough to thwart this. www.news24.com/news24/community-newspaper/peoples-post/atm-scammers-targeting-tourists-nabbed-in-cape-town-cbd-20240319

Make sure you take a credit card with you going ashore at Conflict islands, if you get there. I discovered to my dismay that the only way you can pay for anything on the islands is by credit card. They don't accept cash for food, drink, souvenirs, canoe hire etc.

That ANZ Visa debit card is going to charge you $A5 every time you use an ATM to withdraw cash PLUS 3% of the amount of any transaction. That makes the exchange rate for foreign currency a lot more expensive. It doesn't have to be like that, if you shop around for a 'no foreign exchange fees" debit card. Sorry to hear about your fall, and hope you are resting up and feeling better soon.

Found an article from two years ago that explains it better, but can't find anything to say they have recently been sold. https://www.aspi.org.au/opinion/sale-aptly-named-conflict-islands-threatens-stability-region

The Islands are owned by an Australian man, Ian Gowrie Smith, not by the Papua New Guinea government. But they are part of PNG, so when he put the group of 21 islands up for sale, it was suggested that the Chinese might buy them. This obviously had strategic implications, and the PNG Government blocked the sale, unless it was to someone in PNG.

Yes, that's the point. The big bank debit cards simply do not offer the service that some of the newer entrants do. I have absolutely no loyalty towards Australia's big banks, which have been ripping off customers for decades. I am happy to go with a newer debit card which is filling a need for travellers. It's really not much trouble at all to open the account online.