arxcards

Thanks. I wish we had family in London, but Barb's family are along the east coast, We will get some time there at the end of our trip. Shepherd's Bush also has the largest shopping centre in Europe - apparently. I am trying to keep her out of there and Harrod's.

We are also giving that a bit of thought. So far, it seems all of our endevours can be done via hops from Waterloo or Westminster stations plus Westminster wharf.

Underwritten by IAG, they also do the Qantas badged product. Considerably more expensive, but at first look the pre-existing medical stuff seemed a bit more relaxed than other policies.

No. Your two lost ports are the closest ones to Australia, and they have showed no inclination to substitute New Caledonian ports with Fiji - so far at least. Perhaps a day at Moreton Island along the way, but I see an extra sea day and "scenic cruising" of the Havannah Boulari passage (aka 2 x sea days).

Shakespeare's Globe is likely the only theatre will be frequenting. I agree, with limited time in a city, it is best to look for a place where you can get about from easily. The tube will get a lot of use from us as we make our way around, and we will be mobile enough to cover plenty of distance on foot.

It is a privileged spot to cruise from, and we are doing two cruises from there next year. They have a geographic advantage though. From the east coast here, 3 days cruising will get you to a port in NZ or New Caledonia. Three days from Southampton will get you to Ireland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Iceland, Canary Islands, Spain, Portugal. We can never compete with that. We have long distances between ports and sea days instead - some love it that way.

How awesome! Should cut travel time down to 26 hours.

O agree. Some passengers overlooked the fact it was a rite of passage, and saw it as a cruel show just put on for tourists.

Mr Google tells me I could walk to OPT in 31 hours, but I think that is without luggage.

Looking ahead, I would be jealous if you still had a ship to board, as it seems like a waste of a good walk when the ships stop calling.

Partly due to the size of the ships and the lack of tendering amenity. It was barely doable with Sun/Dawn/Sea Princess and Pacific Dawn/Jewel. Some people cruising to Pentacost were also complaining about the tower diving, which was the main reason for the visit. Wala is another stop they could use, but I don't know if their tender jetty is still useable. It is a shame that the jetties can't be maintained, as there is a lot of dollars worth of passengers using them on each visit.

Also for those that scuba or snorkel, million dollar point is not far from the port.

Insurance companies hate insuring risks. BTW, it is quite OK to criticise or praise travel insurance companies. The ONE that COVERs me for most trips doesn't like insuring older passengers either. Our plan is to get our cruise travel over and done while we can afford the insurance. And even for us younger ones, check out the fine print for if you have to change travel plans because of illness or the passing of an elderly family member.

This one is currently on the top of our shortlist. The only snag is they have surge pricing on one of our nights, which is preventing me from jumping in and making a booking there. Just on the Waterloo side of the Westminster Bridge, it ticks all the boxes of being easy to get in, get out, and easy to get to key tube stops to make our way around. I am closely watching the pricing on quite a few hotels in the Waterloo/Lambeth North area. If we want to pay the few extra bucks, the views look amazing, and we will see the river & bridges lit up on the Saturday night. Rooms | Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London I am still keen to learn from personal experiences, so thanks for making sure I skip that one.

Yes, Santo = Luganville. Espiritu Santo is the Island, Luganville is the main port. There is also Champagne Bay, but you have got buckleys of tendering there. It would make for a nice little tour if you haven't been there, together with the blue hole. I can't hazard a guess for your replacements for Noumea & Lifou.

There was 1.5 laps with multi starting points being replaced only by a Sydney to Sydney option for the full loop. 1.5 into 1 doesn't go, so it is possible that someone else also had that cabin on the other 1/2 lap and they have jumped you in the queue on the replacement cruise. Still sux though.

Do you like Luganville?

Their addicts (I know one in Seattle) still love cruising Alaska 3 or 4 times every year.

They sacrificed a Princess to put Carnival into Sydney instead, as well as having 5 x P&O ships zipping about.

Give it a few extra weeks. They have to be seen to be doing all they can to try to give you the itinerary you booked. 🤣

P&O Australia evolved most of itineraries and opened up ports in PNG, the Pacific & NZ as an offering to Australian passengers. Based on that, most of our itineraries were designed by Australians for Australians. Alas, as Australians we struggle to fill a limited number of ships over the winter months, so that is why there are limited options. Those extra seasonal ships are mostly plying their trade in Alaska, where they only cruise in their summer months too. If you lived in Canada, you would likely have the same lament. There is more cruise variety from Sydney than there is from Vancouver. Vancouver/Seattle are great for cruising - but almost exclusively to Alaska. Great ports, but much less variety than here. I feel no need to be apologetic to my American friends who love coming down here to cruise when they can afford it.

It was in the "Circle" magazine from Princess a couple of editions back. No specific date apart from late in 2024. They will be sending them to any passenger that requests them to be mailed, but those on standard fares will have to pay a fee for postage.

Wait for Black Friday, when the inclusive fare is on special and only $2K extra.

Us cynical cruisers. Final payment eh? That would make it hard to cancel now, wouldn't it.

One of the cruise lines has ruled out New Caledonia till next October, but hasn't told their passengers yet. 6 weeks notice seems to be about the norm.