mum and son

Thank you for this, it definitely puts my mind at ease. I have found an incredible solo price for my potential MSC cruise so, even if I was travelling with my friend, I would've booked us a room each.

Interesting point of view. Thanks for your thoughts. To be honest, when I went on the Jade I was in a 2 bedroom Haven Villa in the Med and I honestly didn't venture much into the main part of the ship as we had keycard access to our own private floor with pool, gym, restaurant etc, and this cruise would be in an inside guarantee cabin, so vastly different. My cousins recently cruised MSC in Europe and loved it, and we're pretty similar and cruise together a lot. I just don't know what to think. I've also read the reviews and wonder if we'll fit the MSC from Japan demographic. I've found a deal that is so cheap I'm almost tempted to give it a try. I've never been on a cruise I didn't enjoy so I'm pretty easy to please, but I do feel a responsibility to my travel companion.

Thank you. No, I hadn't previously considered a river cruise. Have never really thought about their existence outside of Europe to be honest. Interesting...

100% correct. Your turn!

Thanks. They were different questions, at different stages of my planning journey.

And when I say "new" I was there in 2010 so I don't mean brand new, but new as compared to the ancient one 😁. And my photo was taken before I had a good quality digital camera on hand at all times in my phone!

Yes, it is. It's a new library that was built as a tribute to a famous, ancient library. Does that help?

No. It's not any place that involves transportation.

Port Arthur?

Thanks for the replies. I may be travelling with a friend (the ex Qantas person, meaning staff travel), or I may be travelling solo, which means I may be able to grab a flight using points. Not a lot of options for points flights but they are out there. There are even some flight options for me to do the Antarctic cruise on Princess. I hate having so much up in the air. I'd like to lock in one thing but not there just yet. At least when cruising in Aus I know a good deal when I see one and can jump on it. I feel a little lost this time, especially my first time where I may end up cruising solo 😬.

Hi all, I'm a bit rusty when it comes to booking cruises from international ports and am not sure if pricing will drop last minute, or whether I'm already last minute. I'm looking for a cruise that departs from any US port (except NY due to cold) between Dec 17th and Jan 5th this coming Xmas, so a departure could be as soon as 7 weeks away. Looking for a longer cruise, prefer 14 nights but will consider anything over 9 or 10. Looks like plenty are available but would like Panama Canal if possible. Some Princess prices look pretty good with o/s agents but I can't get any drop and go pricing on the Princess Aus site. It just says unavailable. NCL prices are still pretty high, and include the current promo of 35% discount (!?!) and drinks and wifi etc. That promo ends in 3 days. Does that promo actually end? Is it actually a promo? Or will prices drop down when it ends and I'll be better off without it? I don't have a history of watching NCL pricing so I don't know. I hate that I don't have a "feel" for the pricing patterns. Can anyone offer any advice? Am I actually missing out if I let the current promos expire, or will I actually be better off after it ends? I don't know! If I really wait until last minute, will I get a great deal, or doesn't that happen like it used to in the good old days? Thank-you.

Good advice. We wouldn't go standby on flights within the US. We'd book and pay for them. There are so many cruises leaving within a few days so I'm sure we could wait and try and grab something last minute. There seems to be quite a lot of availability. Just need to lock in my travel companion, that's the hardest bit 🤣. If he won't commit soon then I'll find something to do solo. I would love to try an NCL solo studio but we'll see.

Thanks Julie. I'm getting more and more confused. I just need the perfect cruise to jump out at me, but at the perfect price! 😀

Luckily I do have a laissez-faire attitude to travel. I'm lucky to be travelling, whether I get to my intended destination or not 😁.

Despite being a long time member of CC my visits are somewhat sporadic, but you've always been here, providing advice and kind words. When I logged in yesterday my first thought was to check for an update from you. Wishing you all the best with your health and I hope that you're resting comfortably and dreaming of cruise ships!

Thanks (and thanks for the info on the drinks as well). I'm checking all cruises departing in the right timeframe. Sticking with NCL & Princess as best can, and would consider RCI as well. I just don't think I'm a Carnival girl and Celebrity doesn't have a lot of options and they're too $$$. MSC and Costa don't look like the cruiseline for us but a perfect itinerary could sway me. We'll probably push out our cruise booking and keep watching flights to see how we go 🤞. If nothing else it all adds to the adventure!

Thanks, yes, I do understand the risks. This is why we're looking at US cruises because we believe if we give ourselves enough days prior to the cruise that we should be able to get on a plane somewhere out of Aus to somewhere in the US. It depends a lot on status - years of service, why you're travelling etc. The A380 flies Syd-LA so it seems a reasonable backup and all flights are currently wide open. We can actually wait and book the cruise last minute too so that's our safety net. We'll pay for the domestic flights we need. My friend actually worked in the international ticketing area at Qantas so understands the system pretty well. I have no issues with the return flight as it wouldn't matter to me if I was offloaded in Timbuktoo, I just need to get there pre-cruise!

Mexico sounds ok, but I'd like my luggage!

I don't know if I'm allowed but if you look for people who are addicted to the P&O ship based in Brisbane and search wedding you'll find plenty of info.

If I was cruising with Alan I wouldn't be deciding between inside and obstructed oceanview (I hope)!

I think even with the included drink packages, and included gratuities I'm looking at I'll still have to pay the service charge on drinks and purchases over and above??

Thanks - I'll take a look at San Diego, it sounds like a great option. My heart is not set on any particular destination, I'm just keen to cruise internationally again. I'm a notorious over-tipper when I travel. When in doubt , tip too much!!

Actually looking at this December. We just got more serious about it tonight and found an 11 night cruise on the NCL Gem out of Miami at a time that can work for both of us. Being over Xmas and New Year the cruise is a little more pricey but my travel buddy is ex-Qantas so we are looking at flying standby. With all of the options into the States we should be ok. I'm not over-excited about the Gem, but I've been on the Jade so have a rough idea of what to expect. I'll keep looking for a better ship but NCL looks to be offering the best deals for "almost all inclusive" fares and we really need an itinerary that excites us. We would like to try the Viva!

Back to the topic of this thread, I have been "stuck" with a lot of P&O cruises over the years. I work a stressful job and I live and work at the same place so I have to fully get away to get any kind of break. Cruising is perfect for me to relax, and I really need a week off every few months rather than longer breaks less often. So, I'm mainly stuck with P&O ex Brisbane. I gave the Luminosa a good spin (3 times) on those almost free cruises earlier this year but I don't like the ship, couldn't stand the food (except the Steakhouse) - and the main positive for me was I really liked the app. In August I did B2B cruises on the Encounter. 7 days to the Island plus 4 days to Airlie, in a Byron Beach Club mini-suite. It really changed my mind about P&O. I spent at least 3-4 hours a day in the Club, often alone. I had the pool and spa to myself and could change my seating with the sun. Breakfast in Angelos is more my style, I skip lunch and then an early dinner. Yeah, the food isn't 5 star but I managed to work the system so I didn't repeat a menu once on the first 7 day cruise. On the 4 day cruise I simply booked my dinners around the menus I enjoyed the previous week. Not too bad. I'll never go on a P&O cruise longer than 3 days unless I'm in a BBC room again.