Sparky74

What’s the difference between a Suite (SA) and a Penthouse Suite (PT) on the Pacific Explorer?

Well, my Nanna was still taking cruises and flying internationally in her 90s. 😱 We can all live in hope.

This is of paramount importance. Many international visitors fail to grasp the size of Australia. Our population is relatively small and mostly distributed near the coast but the land mass is huge. Here’s a map of the USA overlain with a map of Australia.

It irks me that you need 6 month’s validity on your passport to travel. In effect a passport lasts 9.5 years not 10 years.

We’ve had some great port days at Noumea but it’s somewhere that you need to go with a plan. Do your research and have a plan. I believe that one of the reasons cruise ships have continued to call there is because they are able to take on good quality water.

This thread prompted me to watch some YouTube videos on the subject and doing that made me itchy! 😱

I have thought of several humorous responses but fortunately my filter is working today. 😇🤐

Yes. I was going to comment on the size of UK seagulls. Maybe it’s the Aussie one that are small! 🤷‍♂️ My wife tells a story from her first trip to the UK. On a day visit to St Ives, a seagull swooped down and stole her ice cream, leaving her with an empty cone in her hand!

I liked the Pork Belly with Watermelon in the Dragon Lady. Personally I found all the P&O desserts fairly lack lustre except for the New Zealand Ice Cream which was an addition charge. JMHO

Here are the cheapest per day cruises that I can find sailing closer to home. YMMV Date Nights Ship From To Interior Daily 4/7/24 4 Pacific Explorer Sydney Auckland (one way) $428 $107 21/7/24 15 Carnival Splendor Sydney Singapore (one way) $1,609 $107 24/8/24 16 Carnival Splendor Singapore Sydney (one way) $1,915 $120 7/9/24 3 Pacific Adventure Sydney Comedy $348 $116 9/9/24 9 Carnival Splendor Sydney North Qld $1,039 $115 30/10/24 5 Pacific Explorer Auckland Melbourne (one way) $448 $90 29/11/24 2 Pacific Explorer Melbourne Adelaide (one way) $221 $111 17/12/24 2 Pacific Explorer Adelaide Melbourne (one way) $198 $99 7/2/25 7 Pacific Adventure Sydney Kangaroo Island $798 $114 8/2/25 7 Pacific Encounter Brisbane North Qld $719 $103 17/2/25 10 Carnival Splendor Sydney North Qld $1,079 $108 14/3/25 9 Carnival Splendor Sydney North Qld $1,019 $113 24/3/25 5 Pacific Explorer Fremantle Adelaide (one way) $548 $110 5/4/25 6 Pacific Explorer Adelaide Auckland (one way) $573 $96 6/5/25 10 Carnival Splendor Sydney North Qld $1,079 $108 17/5/25 9 Pacific Adventure Sydney North Qld $1,048 $116 27/5/25 7 Carnival Splendor Sydney North Qld $1,069 $153 29/5/25 10 Carnival Splendor Sydney North Qld $1,122 $112 13/6/25 15 Pacific Explorer Auckland North Qld $1,523 $102 23/6/25 10 Carnival Splendor Sydney North Qld $1,079 $108 23/6/25 8 Pacific Adventure Sydney North Qld $898 $112 21/7/25 10 Pacific Adventure Sydney North Qld $1,198 $120 4/8/25 10 Carnival Splendor Sydney North Qld $1,079 $108 8/9/25 9 Carnival Splendor Sydney North Qld $1,009 $112 31/10/25 7 Pacific Explorer Melbourne Kangaroo Island $798 $114 16/12/25 3 Pacific Explorer Adelaide Melbourne (one way) $348 $116 2/3/26 5 Pacific Explorer Adelaide Fremantle (one way) $548 $110 14/3/26 9 Carnival Splendor Sydney North Qld $1,029 $114 19/4/26 7 Pacific Explorer Fremantle Melbourne (one way) $798 $114 28/4/26 10 Carnival Splendor Sydney North Qld $1,099 $110 20/5/26 10 Carnival Splendor Sydney North Qld $1,099 $110

Yes, you can still cruise for $100/person/night! Here are the best prices I can find online. YMMV Most of these are international departures and many are not closed loop cruises so you need to factor in air fares of course. And don't forget gratuities. Date Nights Ship From To Interior Daily 18/5/24 6 MSC Seaside Genoa Marseille (one way) $587 $98 1/9/24 7 MSC Seashore Port Canaveral Bahamas $680 $97 15/9/24 7 MSC Seashore Port Canaveral Bahamas $680 $97 29/9/24 7 MSC Seashore Port Canaveral Bahamas $700 $100 10/10/24 8 P&O Azura Valletta Santa Cruz de Tenerife (one way) $718 $90 10/10/24 9 P&O Azura Valletta Santa Cruz de Tenerife (one way) $837 $93 10/10/24 15 P&O Azura Valletta Santa Cruz de Tenerife (one way) $1,437 $96 10/10/24 16 P&O Azura Valletta Santa Cruz de Tenerife (one way) $1,537 $96 26/10/24 14 Celestyal Journey Athens Doha (one way) $1,169 $84 26/10/24 15 Carnival Legend Rome (Civitavecchia) Tampa (one way) $1,449 $97 30/10/24 5 Pacific Explorer Auckland Melbourne (one way) $448 $90 31/10/24 9 Celestyal Journey Sharm el-Sheikh Doha (one way) $789 $88 7/11/24 14 Celebrity Constellation Barcelona Tampa (one way) $1,321 $94 9/11/24 14 MSC Virtuosa Le Havre Fort-de-France $1,361 $97 10/11/24 16 Caribbean Princess Rome (Civitavecchia) Fort Lauderdale (one way) $1,500 $94 11/11/24 19 MSC Orchestra Marseille Rio de Janeiro (one way) $1,881 $99 12/11/24 18 MSC Orchestra Barcelona Rio de Janeiro (one way) $1,763 $98 16/11/24 14 Nieuw Statendam Rome (Civitavecchia) Fort Lauderdale (one way) $1,059 $76 16/11/24 16 MSC Grandiosa Genoa Salvador (one way) $1,407 $88 16/11/24 19 MSC Grandiosa Genoa Rio de Janeiro (one way) $1,791 $94 16/11/24 21 MSC Grandiosa Genoa Santos (Sao Paulo) (one way) $2,027 $97 17/11/24 18 MSC Grandiosa Marseille Rio de Janeiro (one way) $1,673 $93 17/11/24 20 MSC Grandiosa Marseille Santos (Sao Paulo) (one way) $1,909 $95 18/11/24 17 MSC Grandiosa Barcelona Rio de Janeiro (one way) $1,545 $91 18/11/24 19 MSC Grandiosa Barcelona Santos (Sao Paulo) (one way) $1,841 $97 28/11/24 17 Sky Princess South Hampton Fort Lauderdale (one way) $1,463 $86 4/12/24 18 Island Princess Rome (Civitavecchia) Fort Lauderdale (one way) $1,691 $94 6/12/24 7 P&O Azura Santa Cruz de Tenerife Canary Islands $698 $100 7/12/24 7 P&O Azura Santa Cruz de Tenerife Canary Islands $698 $100 17/12/24 2 Pacific Explorer Adelaide Melbourne (one way) $198 $99 3/1/25 7 P&O Azura Santa Cruz de Tenerife Canary Islands $698 $100 4/1/25 7 P&O Azura Santa Cruz de Tenerife Canary Islands $698 $100 10/1/25 7 P&O Azura Santa Cruz de Tenerife Canary Islands $698 $100 11/1/25 7 P&O Azura Santa Cruz de Tenerife Canary Islands $698 $100 17/1/25 7 P&O Azura Santa Cruz de Tenerife Canary Islands $698 $100 18/1/25 7 P&O Azura Santa Cruz de Tenerife Canary Islands $698 $100 21/1/25 14 Majestic Princess Fort Lauderdale Caribbean $1,169 $84 18/2/25 14 Majestic Princess Fort Lauderdale Barcelona (one way) $1,323 $95 8/3/25 14 Celestyal Journey Athens Doha (one way) $1,169 $84 8/3/25 10 Celestyal Journey Sharm el-Sheikh Doha (one way) $789 $79 24/3/25 15 Emeral Princess Fort Lauderdale Rome (Civitavecchia) $1,489 $99 5/4/25 6 Pacific Explorer Adelaide Auckland (one way) $573 $96 11/6/25 15 Carnival Valor Barcelona New Orleans (one way) $1,430 $95 9/10/25 8 P&O Azura Valletta Santa Cruz de Tenerife (one way) $787 $98 1/11/25 14 Celestyal Journey Athens Doha (one way) $1,169 $84 5/12/25 7 P&O Azura Santa Cruz de Tenerife Canary Islands $667 $95

A serious answer: What about a maxi-taxi? They are equipped to carry a passenger in a wheelchair. How big is your scooter? My silly answer: You’ve got two days. Surely you can cover that distance riding the scooter! 🤪

It’s currently $9889/person base lead in price for an inferior cabin. By the time you add gratuities it’s almost $300/person/day. Then we need to add flights and a precruise stay in New York and shore excursions… But a Panama Canal cruise is on my bucket list. And this cruise calls at Easter Island too! I wonder if any cabins will be left after final payment, 120 days out. I wonder if the price will drop then. 🤔 DW says to book it if it comes down to $200/person/day. 🤷‍♂️

I’m interested in a partial world cruise on the Crown Princess NEXT year: 36 nights from New York to Sydney, 20th August to 26th September 2025. Unfortunately it’s a bit pricey at the moment. I'm not sure that I’m game to wait until the beginning of August 2025 in the hopes of picking up a bargain. Perhaps it will drop to a more affordable price after the final payment date. 🤷‍♂️

The same is true of Royal Caribbean. IMHO The sad truth is that all the cruiselines haemorrhaged shiploads of money during the lockdown. To make up for those losses they need to increase their profit margin by either cutting costs or increasing prices or both.

Price is a driving force for us as we are on a fixed income but we do enjoy natural light coming into the cabin. So if the price difference isn’t too great we spring for an obstructed oceanview rather than an inferior interior cabin. 😁

DW & I are on that sailing too! 😁

So about an extra $24/person/day at the current exchange rate. 😬

I’m guessing although they are quoted in Australian Dollars, that the prices for Princess cruises from non-Australian ports do not include gratuities. 🤔

There’s an old jock which asks: What’s the difference between an Australian and a canoe? Canoes sometimes tip. 🤣 I didn’t say it was a good joke. 🤷‍♂️

Today I received an email advertising an expanded 2025 Japan and 2025/26 South East Asia Program for the Diamond Princess. The base lead-in price for an interior cabin on a 9 day cruise is $2,184. That’s over $240/person/day. 😱 Beyond my merger pocket book I’m afraid. 🤷‍♂️

We are considering going back to Alaska next year. I investigated the Rocky Mountaineer as part of the land portion of our trip. I’m afraid the fare is out of our price range. The term, "eye-watering", springs to mind.

Yes, we have stayed at the Great Southern also. 👍

Do let us know if you spot any last minute bargains, perhaps on the El Cheapo thread. It seems most ship are sailing full at the moment.

Indeed. It would seem that CC and NCL are just as much victims as you and me. Many thanks to LauraS and the team for finding a resolution and please accept my apologies for any harsh comments. Keep up the good work.