pppatpc2

Thanks for the info, we are on the 14 day TA and with all those sea days we are going to need a punch card. ;) I was concerned because we were on the Diamond Aus/NZ in January and they did not offer the wine package even though it was 12 days. Appreciate the help.

Do they offer the wine packages on the Royal Princess? Does anyone know the current prices for the silver and gold packages? Thanks in advance.

The only place we ever had the slightest bit of trouble not having a chip card was in the Baltic countries, but even then they had a different way of entering the card. If you have a Charles Scwab debit card, they refund the ATM fees and give you a decent exchange rate, so we just take that along and stop at the first ATM we see.

We can ordinarily get Nobilo Sav Blanc on sale for $8.99-9.99 at home so I can't bring myself to pay up for it. We were just in Australia/New Zealand in January and a wine shop owner convinced us to try the Australian Savignon Blancs. They are entirely different than the New Zealand variety (of which I am a huge fan, btw), they have much less acid and citrus and are more like what we used to get as a French Columbard or Chenin Blanc. Some were very good. Although I highly suggest a crisp NZ Savignon Blanc with spicy food and/or sushi. I do not see my favorite red on the list anymore, which was The Spur, red blend. I do agree with the previous poster about the Chateauneuf du Pape, tastes very much like a nice thick Syrah and is a good price.

We always book a guarantee and have been assigned at various times. We booked a guarantee inside on the Royal and were almost immediately given an IA category in a perfect location with one of those sideways cabins that everyone seems to love (haven't been yet, so ?). Our last cruise we had a guarantee obstructed oceanview and were not assigned until about 10 days out. My TA said that usually they wait until the ship is sold out and then they assign everyone at once. She claimed the later they wait, usually the better cabin you get. Well... although we had a terrific location, our view was completely obstructed by a storage locker, lol. I'd be happy to sleep in Vines if necessary as long as I'm on the ship. Good luck.

We were on the Diamond in Australia/NZ in January and they had a physics professor lecturing on the Big Bang and other physics topics. I wish I could remember his name, but he was wonderful. The first lecture was fairly well attended, but his following grew throughout the cruise. I want to say he gave 5 lectures in total. It was nice to stretch the brain considering I usually have a hard time remembering what day it is when I am cruising.

This will be the first drink I order when I board the Royal on 4/25!

We have been concentrating on bucket list trips for the last 5 years. We enjoy Princess cruises because they have been voted best itineraries for the last decade. It is not ideal to see any country by just the coastal regions but we enjoy it because I hate to pack and unpack and although you don't get to see everything, you do get a very good flavor for most places. No matter what kind of trip you take you will see some things and miss others. We just returned from the Australia/New Zealand 12 day Sydney-Auckland on the Diamond Princess and had a great time. If you are considering a cruise of this area, consider the size of the ship. The night we left Tasmania the captain announced that the Tasman sea would be "living up to it's reputation". Seas the first day were 18'. There was a smaller ship passing us going the opposite direction and it was having a difficult time. The Diamond, being a large ship, was rocking but ok. It is all up to personal preference as to land vs. sea, just thought I would throw in my two cents.

We took the shared transportation option on Viator tours. We had to wait (inside) about 30 minutes for the driver, but it was reasonable and good service. They had a "short bus" with a trailer for luggage. We only had one other couple in the van so we were actually the first stop. Definitely a decent option for the price.

We did not pay a credit card fee for staying in Auckland when we prepaid through a hotel booking site in the States.

We just got off the Diamond Auckland and any time we walked by, Kai Sushi always had availability. You may want to make a reservation if you want to eat at the sushi bar as there are only about 8-10 places. We walked in for lunch and my husband had the set menu and I had some nigiri and was happy to find they will make you your favorite rolls even if they are not on the menu. I thought it was a nice addition, but I think the prices could be a little lower considering all the food on the ship is free. I can see a surcharge, but I think it is a little too high. Great food and service though.

Just returned from Aus/NZ on the Diamond Princess. For what it's worth these are the tours we took:

In Hobart we did the ships tour of Bonorong. I was not impressed with the tour guide, she was little more than a glorified babysitter that made sure we got to the park. We pulled up and she didn't say anything, so I asked her, "Are we on our own?" and she said yes we will meet back here at a certain time. I guess we were supposed to know that. I was hoping for more commentary on Tasmania or something on the bus, but she just blathered on about stupid stuff. It was raining quite alot that day and Bonorong was basically a mosh pit. But it was worth it to feed the kangaroos and get your picture taken with a koala. It was a nice park and it was quite far from the port, so basically the ship tour is transportation.

In Akaroa we had booked the Akaroa Harbor nature tour with the ship. The same tour is available online for about half price, especially when you throw in the positive conversion rate, but there was no availability. About a week before we were leaving my husband checked again and it was available, so we cancelled the ship tour and booked online. The boat leaves right from the pier where the tender drops you off, so no problem. We were on a boat with "Captain Hector" a Cairn Terrier who runs around the boat with a life jacket and barks when he sees the endangered dolphins. It is the best! Tour was terrific, we also saw fur seal colony, salmon farm, stunning scenery. Very nice.

In Tauranga we took the ship tour Wai-o-tapu Valley & Rainbow Springs. It was a very nice day. The thermal springs are a must-do, IMHO, just terrific. Don't be intimidated by the times marked on the walking path. You have plenty of time to see all the paths, if you are able to do stairs and such. Rainbow Springs was ok, highlight was being able to see the kiwi, since they are nocturnal. We had a nice guide that took us through several exhibits. Lunch on the lake was very nice. Comfortable boat, good selection of tasty food and drinks all included and a terrific Maori show. Performers took pictures with anybody interested at the end.

We did the other ports on our own, let me know if you have other questions.

Enjoy your trip!

We just came back from Akaroa, it was one of our favorite ports! We really had no interest in spending the time or money for the train ride so we booked a wildlife tour with Akaroa Harbor Tours. We were fortunate enough to get on the boat with "Captain Hector" a Cairn Terrier who bark when he sees the endangered dolphins. We also saw a fur seal colony and some stunning scenery. The tour was offered through the ship but we were able to book it online for about half the price last minute and cancel our ship's tour. The town of Akaroa is absolutely charming, you could easily spend the whole day just walking around.

We stayed at the Marriott Circular Quay, which is about 1 block from the quay, very good location, beautiful hotel. We stayed Jan 5-10 and paid $1100 Aus$ with the exchange rate that made it well under $200 a night. Remember those rates also include tax, which is not the case in the US.

For my two cents, if anybody is flying to Sydney, the Qantas flight out of Dallas is terrific. Straight from Dallas to Sydney QF8, coming back QF7. It is an Airbus 380, complete double deck. The flight attendant told us the flight never books full because of weight restrictions. We booked a window and aisle at the rear and had an empty seat. Two rows in back of us only had one person each. Plus the service was outstanding and the plane was terrific.

Just off the Diamond Princess in Austrailia/New Zealand, our MAITRES D'HOTEL was Pasquale Marino, charming man. I also heard a rumor that Godwin has been promoted to Maitres d' but I do not know which ship. I hope the rumor is true, it would be well deserved.

When we went to Alaska we each brought a waterproof jacket with a removable liner. That should take care of 90% of weather possibilities. We haven't been for several years but we took the White Pass Yukon train out of Skagway which was very nice, but fair warning, the train just turns around on a trestle and goes back the same way. My favorite excursion was a seaplane ride out of Ketchikan to the Misty Fjords National monument. Talk about the end of the earth, complete silence when we landed on the lake in the middle of the fjord. Glacier cruising is also great. We have a terrific picture of the kids eating bowls of ice cream on deck with the glacier calving in the background. Enjoy.

We are still waiting for our guarantee to be assigned on our 1/10 sailing on the Diamond out of Sydney. Do you think the longer it takes the better the cabin, or will we be sleeping on deck?

Thanks for the Diamond review. We are on the January 10th sailing and glad to hear some of the horrendous reviews have been a little exagerrated. We sailed on her on the Grand Asia trip in 2013 and had a great time.

Thanks, hate to have my mediocre wine dumped out.

Can you still take on one bottle per person like usual in Australia? I thought I read something about not being allowed to take alcohol on board.

The elite/platinum/suite cocktail party and lounge are one and the same...:confused:

They are not the same. There is a platinum lounge every night for cocktail hour, ours was in Skywalkers, where there are free snacks and discounted drinks. The party is the Captains Circle party for platinum/elite one night of the cruise (you will get an invitation) where they serve free drinks for the party.

Hate to be mean but, I'm glad they're switching cruise directors since we are on the Jan 10 sailing Sydney-Auckland. I'm wondering if anybody is on the strictly Australia sailing now and has the ship been changed to accomodate more English speaking passengers? I know they didn't have anytime dining while in Asia, but I signed up for it, so I guess they are offering it. Anxious to hear any comments from anyone currently on the Diamond.

I think you have to give the cruise lines an extra star for the part at the end of the meal when you stand and walk away without having to say "check please".;)

My DH and I consider ourselves foodies and have eaten at many of the top restaurants. I would give the MDR food a 4 and the buffet a 3. I also think Princess deserves extra props for different food "experiences", like the pub lunch. Although I would love to see the Chef's dinner elevated to a 5, I don't think it quite makes it there. That being said I take the opportunity anytime I can. It's not about the foam and "essence" on the plate. It's about a well thought out dish, cooked properly. I have had some of my favorite meals at 1-star restaurants.

It's also hard to give a rating for all of Princess as I believe service is a big part of a rating and some ships staff are much better than others IMHO.

BOGO little bottle of Korbel!! Life just keeps getting better. ;)