joejoe 59

We cruise out of Brisbane next week heading to Tasmania.  I don't expect itinerary changes but I do expect some motion on the ocean 🤮

We are looking forward to our 2nd cruise on Coral Princess next Thursday,  can't wait. I'll be making sure to see the shows.

I'm hoping next week's impending cyclone doesn't make it too rocky.

2 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

We are cruising on Thursday (the cruise before yours). I asked a Princess rep a while ago about boarding time and he insisted it was "any time after 11 am".

Thanks for that info, 11am will give us time to drop the pup off & drive to the port.

Enjoy your cruise prior to ours.

When do you actually get a check in time? (Window)  We cruise out of Brisbane in 2 weeks & don't have any info regarding check in. We are also Elite. 

Must be a Gold Coast thing. We are at a Tin Can Bay, had lots of storms & rain but hasn't increased the flys only the humidity... hate it.

On 12/25/2023 at 5:55 AM, yes!yes!yes! said:

I forgot to  mention there were 3 rooms with tables outside on our floor this morning.

no idea if its noro or covid. I have heard nothing.

Being confined to your room at any time let alone Christmas would be terrible.  . It's a very good reason for not filling up drink bottles at the water dispenser at the bars & buffet instead filling in your own cabin.

I can see our $25 each when I go into payments & credits when I'm logged in on the Princess site. We did have $175 each & now have $200 each. We cruise in January on Coral. 

5 hours ago, springaussie said:

I am reading elsewhere.

Yesterday a blitz happened on Carnival Splendor boarding in Sydney for the right travel insurance for the South Pacific, 

(Just a  Heads Up)

 

 

They didn't have any travel insurance.  As it's now a stipulation to enter New Caledonia they would have had plenty of warning to get it or be denied boarding. 

It surprises me people are stupid enough to steal something on a cruise ship & think they'll get away with it.

I hope they are caught & put off.

19 hours ago, NSWP said:

The free one is for in cabin consumption only. But you see pax sneaking along the corridors with their 1 bottle pp cabin wine, heading for the decks, lounges, dining rooms, etc. Thats the way it is, human nature.

No need to sneak, I openly carry my wine up on deck & ask for a glass at the bar, no problem 😊 

15 hours ago, arxcards said:

You can use your medallions for no charge. The charge will only apply if you order food/drinks from your phone.

 

I didn't detail from our affected cruise. We received $50 OBC for having our booking conditions altered. We chose not to dine at Alfredo’s and we chose not to use the medallion app to order, as we felt there was no value in activating on a short cruise. We spent the $50 on a Stanley bear for our upcoming grandcruiser instead.

Yes I knew I could use it to get into my room & on & off the ship. 

A Stanley bear for your  grand baby sounds like a good way to spend your obc

We have the old plus package booked prior to December 2022. I can now see in our onboard credit total that it has had $50 added to it, which is obviously to activate our  medallions. I'm thinking we shouldn't have any issues unlike others have 🤞

20 hours ago, valantine80 said:

When we were there last year on QOS they used Captain Cook boats for transfer but I didn't use them.

They would have to be more comfortable then the tenders.

On 12/7/2023 at 8:30 AM, JJK2008 said:

Well, we made back home to Florida, USA after being away for about 8 weeks. Our trip to Australia and 2-week cruise around New Zealand far exceeded what we had hoped for. We were very fortunate; our weather was about as close to perfect as it could be for the entire trip. God willing this will not be our one and only visit. Your countries are spectacular!!! We did a lot but barely scratched the surface. So much more to see and do. Before this trip, my limited exposure to Aussies came from a river cruise in Europe pre-covid years. The Aussies on that cruise didn't know each other at the time as they came from different places along the east coast. Yes, we did get to visit with all of them. We all hit it off really well and became good friends quickly. I've written before that in my limited experience, Aussies were Canadians with a slightly different accent. After this trip I am convinced 10-fold that Aussies are Canadians with a slightly different accent. That is the greatest of compliments as we have more Canadian friends than we have American friends, and we LOVE our Canadian friends. We live in a retirement community in Florida with a sister community next door. In total there are about 1800 homes between both communities. At least 1/4 of those homes are owned by Canadian "snowbirds" who spend their winters here rather than in the tundra.

 

We found the people of Australia to be very friendly, helpful and inviting. Our Princess cruise was a majority Aussies as well. I'm pleased to report that we now have a whole new bunch of Aussie friends. More folks to visit on our next trip. All the more reason to go back. I didn't know what a meat pie was until reading about them here. In the USA we have Shepards pie and Cottage pies which are Irish and English respectively. They are on the same idea as meat pies, but certainly NOT the same. I have now experienced meat pies and have become quite fond. I will tell you the Kiwis are more than willing to make the claim that their meat pies are better than any you can get in Oz. I did have meat pies in both places and found them excellent in each place. So, I'll say it's a matter of taste. Can't say I developed a taste for Vegemite. I assume it's an acquired taste. In conclusion, my experience with Australia and New Zealand was off the charts. We're already looking to plan a return visit. To the Aussies and Kiwis, don't take what you have for granted. Your countries are magnificent. Your people and way of life are an envy. Being "down under" and island countries separates you to a degree from a lot of the world's ills. You're so lucky. Enjoy what you have. It is truly special. 

 

Cheers,

John           

What an epic adventure.  You've probably seen more of Australia then a lot of Australians we know. I hope you get to return one day, but if not you have some amazing memories. 

Great photos. 

How long is the tender into shore?  Just wondering as we're be parked out in the harbour in January on Coral Princess. 

Thanks for review @Jean C makes me excited for our cruise to Tasmania in January. 

1 hour ago, shireboi said:

 

Ben & David are my favourite cruise vloggers.

You probably would need to consider that the end of September into mid October is school holidays here in Australia. 

On 10/29/2023 at 12:09 PM, cruiser3775 said:

Post No. 3

 

Events & Entertainment

Plenty of time for these with so many sea days. I know I don't have many mainstream tastes, but a lot of the offerings were of no interest to me.  Many of them had a whiff of the social committee at a Retirement village - lawn bowls, bean bag toss, bingo, very easy quizzes etc.  Another lot were thinly disguised sales pitches for the spa, the casino and the shops - Botox Party or Intro to Acupuncture, or Arthritis remedies, complimentary jewellery cleaning, etc.  I did go to a trivia session, encouraged by another passenger to join her. It was "Famous Landmarks" trivia, with photos. The first three were the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower and the Las Vegas neon strip.  Not much brain power or knowledge needed.  There were movies on the big screen, but they were the same movies you could watch on your room TV.  There were lots of exercise to music sessions in the Piazza, plus ballroom dancing lessons, both of which were popular.

Live music was good quality. The ship's band of six were all quality performers and very versatile. There were several smaller acts, usually duos, with different styles of music and song that I enjoyed. The only classical music option was one session with two violinists, which was obviously not popular, because the audience was very sparse.  There were some larger production shows, well choreographed and lit, and the sound system on the ship was first class.

The 'Enrichment" sessions, with backgrounds on the ports were very good. They did not tow the cruise ship line and push the official shore excursions, but gave good information on places to see and how you could DIY if you chose that option.

The library had a fair selection of books and games and jigsaws, and the book selection got better as people finished a book they had brought on board and exchanged it for another. The communal jigsaws might have been good, but there was only one table (out of about eight) in the library that was rectangular and fitted a large jigsaw. The others were all small round tables.  The library is combined with the Tea Leaves Lounge, but that part is strictly decor - glass fronted drawers with tea leaves and a display of teapots, but no hot water or cups to actually make tea.

 

PORTS

The only one I was unfamiliar with was Samoa, so I'm not the best person to comment on excursions.

San Francisco

I spent the day revisiting old haunts and friends, so didn't go on a shore excursion. The port is very close to Fisherman's Wharf, and the excellent public transport systems of central San Francisco, so it would be relatively easy to do a DIY trip around.

Honolulu

Again, another place I'm familiar with, so this time I took the advice of the ship's enrichment presenter, and planned a day on the public transport system, called The Bus. This is an absolute bargain at $3 per trip. You can also buy a $7.50 all day ticket at convenience stores.  The nearest stop is a three minute walk from the port.   I decided on a long distance bus ride, right over to the other side of the island of Oahu and along the northern beaches.  This took me all day and cost peanuts.

Tahiti

The port is very centrally located, so I just walked around the town, did some sightseeing, revisited some places I like, like Notre Dame Cathedral and the Papeete Market, and had some nice French food and wine. It was hot and humid the day we were there.

Samoa

I'd never been here before, so I took a tour. Not the ship's tour, but one I booked privately.  You can also just pick up a tour on exiting the port. There are many people offering a $20 tour of the island for a couple of hours in one of the rusty old local buses. These tours do not have a guide, so you are on your own for background and explanations. The one I went on took 4.5 hours, cost $60 and was on the same sort of bus, but came with a proper local guide. She was very good on local history, culture and economy and told us legends associated with the landmarks. The tour went  first to the National Park headquarters, which has museum type displays, then past the very aromatic fish cannery (Samoa's main export), then over to the other side of the island to a village where we were introduced to the village elders and shown around. Then more driving and sightseeing, ending up back in Pago Pago at a place on the water where we were served a spread of typical Samoan snacks and a drink  , and could use their wifi.   I thought it was a good intro to American Samoa, and worth the money. The company was Best Tours.

New Zealand

We spent one day in Auckland and one in the Bay of Islands

I did a DIY trip by ferry from Auckland to the lovely small town of Devonport on the north shore, where I spent time just wandering around, did a little shopping, sightseeing and lunch, and caught the ferry back. The local ferry terminals are right next to where the ship was berthed. I did look at a day trip to Waiheke Island, but was put off by the cost of $165 for the ferry, plus the HOHO bus, plus winery visits.

Bay of Islands, I took the free shuttle bus to the port for the ferry to the small historical town of Russell, and wandered around again until it was time to go back. The ferry is not frequent, so you need to watch your timing.

 

Last post about this cruise. Hope it has been useful.

 

 

Thank you I've really enjoyed reading it🙂

22 hours ago, arxcards said:

Odyssey of the Seas was meant to be on a sea day heading towards Haifa today, but are berthed in Turkey (Bodrum) instead. Ship stalking is a fun hobby.

 

You are very good at it😁

On 10/4/2023 at 4:33 AM, Rick&Jeannie said:

https://profcruise.com/new-princess-casual-dining-menus/#:~:text=Restaurants serving the new “casual,Pub%2C Steamers%2C and Vines.

 

Premium desserats:

 

Just what every adult has always wished for...not.

1 hour ago, LACruiser88 said:

There were some comments posted here a little while ago regarding the dry dock.  It sounded like a generic dry dock; new carpets, paint and general maintenance.

 

We board the Coral on the ship's first cruise after the dry dock on 10/17/24, Singapore to LA with stops in Thailand, Vietnam, Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan, and Hawaii.

 

 

 

She is definitely overdue for all of that.

The menu's look tasty. I wish they would put as much imagination into gluten free choices, after all being coeliac is not a choice where is eating vegan is.

17 hours ago, arxcards said:

Like P&O, Princess has plenty of cruises at, around or under $100 per day. That is the norm for any cruise that isn't selling to expectations.

 

Look 12 months ahead, and P&O's twin pricing on 7 nighters out of Sydney is around $145pp/per day; Princess is around $150pp/per day. Carnival is cheaper than both, with lots of sub $100pp/pd twin pricing for this time next year. P&O pricing in Brisbane is cheaper than Sydney for this time next year, so they must be having lots of challenges in filling Encounter.

 

We are at around 20 cruises with P&O, so my recent dissatisfaction isn't an anti-P&O sentiment. Over the past 15 years I have seen P&O go from Australia's version of cruising down to lowest common denominator cruising.

Princess cruises out of Brisbane is never at $100 a day,  but I can see they are out of Sydney or Melbourne. I can understand why Sydney pricing is low as there are more visiting ships, but not Melbourne. 

I can't compare cruise lines 12 months ahead because it's P&O or P&O out of Brisbane for 6 mths of the year. Even when Princess is here it's only over summer as they are off doing the world or Hawaii cruises.

Of the 3 lines we've cruised since cruising restarted, non of the are like the good old days.

44 minutes ago, valantine80 said:

On our  last cruise on Princess in Feb 2020, we were turned away from the dining room on the first night as my husband was wearing shorts. We protested they were allowed first and last night's. Maitre d said "Not on Princess". Well hello we are elite. Several years previously on P&O were denied entry as he was wearing sandals, otherwise dressed in long pants and good shirt. We protested that a person at our table the previous night was wearing sandals. Response was "We can't check everybody". How things have changed".

Yet a female can wear sandals  or sparkley thongs & it's OK.