JillH

Thanks for the congratulations. I stumbled across the post by Embl in the very early hours of the morning when i really should have been in bed. An immediate deposit wasn’t required so without giving it any real thought at all I just made a booking knowing if i waited until morning I would probably miss out. In the light of day i realised what a bargain it was. We had talked in the past about possibly doing a relocation cruise on Astor and this just couldn’t be passed up. We’re excited.

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Many thanks for this. The price was honoured and we managed to grab an ocean view cabin for $5999.

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If you can use the MyGov site.

Select home on the left hand side. From the drop down menu, select Travelling Overseas.

You will then key in your travel details.

It will then advise you how you will be affected.

 

I agree about advising them of your return.

My daughter lost her Health Care Card and it took many phone calls to have it restored.

 

 

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Now that’s great to know. I do have a MyGov log in but hadn’t noticed that option. Doing it that way they can’t say you didn’t tell them.

JillH, having been through the hoops with Centrelink ourselves, we found the only people to talk to (if you can!) is Centrelink International. It is also important to let them know when you're back, they seem to develop "selective didn't know syndrome" with Immigration when you return. Funny though they always know when we've left! We once had a running battle with a local office when we did a 'round the top' cruise of Australia with mostly local ports and one in Indonesia. They slugged us for the full 15 days and we couldn't get through to them at all. International, when we got through, just said, "oh that's wrong" one minute and it was fixed. Talk to the people who know!

Steve.

Steve, thanks so much. That’s exactly the type of information I was looking for. I do have the direct number for the International department so I’ll contact them when I get home from this trip and ask the question. Funny though, in my experience they know exactly when I get back in Australia. I’ve even checked the Centrelink app 15 minutes after landing back in Australia after a more than 6 week absence and lo and behold the next payment was on its way back up again to regular levels. Amazing!

Does that include drinks and things other than the cabin and meals?

Well, we don’t drink alcohol. we are diamond plus with Royal so collect three free cans of soda each evening to enjoy the next day. Gratuities included

Enjoy your cruising. :)

Thanks, we are! Currently cruising at $68 per day. [emoji846]

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Well this has been an interesting discussion. Many thanks to those who specifically addressed the question. It’s much appreciated.

MicCanberra I’d like to address your comments directly. What would you consider acceptable discretionary spending while on a pension. Perhaps one of these? Going out for dinner, a bottle of wine or for that matter any alcohol, coffee while shopping, similarly lunch when out, playing bingo, club memberships, playing or attending sport, buying clothes just because you like them not because you need them, or perhaps own a pet? We do literally none of these ever! Cruising is what gives us pleasure so we live accordingly to make it happen. When we cruise it’s in the cheapest indoor cabin and no where near the speculated $200 per day.

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You're probably better off discussing your plans with Centrelink and getting their advice directly from them.

Thanks tillydog. I’ve already tried that with conflicting results. The first person I spoke to there gave me one answer but she didn’t seem sure of herself. The next day I rang again and got another person who didn’t sound confident but gave the opposite response.

We are planning several B2B cruises each returning to Sydney except for the last which will be a transpacific of 23 days. Collectively they will well exceed 6 weeks, the period of absence that impacts the amount of pension received. I was wondering if anyone knows how B2B cruises are counted for Centrelink pension purposes? Does the 6 weeks start again at the end of each cruise in Sydney or will they look at the total period as one absence? Your experience would be appreciated.

Well we are back and happy to report that Dubai Connect worked well for us. We had a very short wait for the shuttle to the hotel which we found basic but clean. Importantly although close to the airport we had no noise from the airport and slept well. The provided meals are buffet style, not fancy but tasty. The hotel also has a pool which we did not use. The hotel used is The Copthorne Airport Dubai.

We received our vouchers on checkin however were not provided with info on how it works. I'm presuming here that you are eligible for a visa on arrival in Dubai. Go straight through immigration and you need to find the Emirites hotel transfer desk. The doors to exit the hotel are on the wall opposite as you exit immigration. The desk is located at exit one which is the far left hand door. If you have any questions, ask away.

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I'm afraid I can't give you any advice re which company is better as I've only done one river cruise which I've only just this week returned from. Like you we had enjoyed ocean cruising and have always felt that on a cost per day basis the cost of river cruises is exorbitant compared to ocean cruises. I can however give you some suggestions to do it cheaper than normal. We obtained a 2 for one deal for a 14 day Amsterdam to Budapest cruise with APT. Now it didn't include the airfares but was substantially cheaper regardless. Now APT doesn't really advertise this but if you can travel with say 2 to 3 months notice, ring them up,to see what last minute deals they have. I found an app that specialises in finding cruise sales and has a search option under company called Mystery River Cruise. Lots are currently offered with dates currently showing up till the end of October this year. A Google search of the itinerary helps to identify the company concerned.

We enjoyed our river cruise, however for us we are happy to return to ocean cruises. We have not changed our opinion re value for money, even at the half price rate. It was just one of these things, like your husband we wanted to try.

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Sharky61, I'm so pleased to hear that Qantas has come through for you and that you will be able to take advantage of the Dubai Connect program. We are looking forward to using it and hopefully means we will arrive refreshed at our final destination.

If you are flying Emirites than you are in luck. They offer a program called Dubai Connect which provides transfer, meals and hotel accommodation if your connection is more than 8 hours. I would suggest ringing them and asking if you are now eligible for this. I'm using this myself in 2 weeks. Info can be found here:

http://www.emirates.com/au/english/plan_book/essential_information/dubai-connect/dubai-connect.aspx

I've experienced this exact same thing. Tried for weeks and got the same result on some, but not all cruises. Let me tell you what worked for me. Now. I'm using an iPad so the instructions are specific to that. First make sure you have your browser completely closed by swiping up from a double click on the home button. Go to settings, Privacy and then scroll to the bottom and select advertising. Click on reset advertising identifier. And your done.

Balcony Stateroom 6606 on Ovation of the Seas

 

 

 

Thanks so much for this. We are booked in cabin 6610 so it was great to see what our cabin will look like.

Yes, I have stayed in this cabin. It's awesome! The picture in the link above is not taken in this cabin. The description online really does not do it justice. The Cabin for all intents and purposes has 2 bedrooms. The master bedroom is off the lounge separated from it by a curtain and has a large walk in robe. The second bedroom has 2 single beds which we have had joined together, although it doesn't leave much room for the steward to make the bed, and 2 pull down beds from the ceiling. There is no wardrobe in this room but there is a very large bank of closets elsewhere so there is plenty of storage space. The lounge has a sofa bed. There is 2 fridges in the cabin. What the website does not mention is that the cabin has 2 bathrooms! One is very large with a bath, and by memory a shower as well. The second bathroom is a stock standard small bathroom.

The cabin does not have a balcony, but has a lively light spacious feel. Sorry, I don't have photos to show. If you have any further questions please ask away.

Yes, I have stayed in this cabin. It's awesome! The description online really does not do it justice. Cabin for all intents and purposes has 2 bedrooms. The master bedroom is off the lounge separated from it by a curtain and has a large walk in robe. The second bedroom has 2 single beds which we have had joined together, although it doesn't leave much room for the steward to make the bed, and 2 pull down beds from the ceiling. There is no wardrobe in this room but there is a very large bank of closets elsewhere so there is plenty of storage space. The lounge has a sofa bed. There is 2 fridges in the cabin. What the website does not mention is that the cabin has 2 bathrooms! One is very large with a bath, and by memory a shower as well. The second bathroom is a stock standard small bathroom.

The cabin does not have a balcony, but has a lively light spacious feel. Sorry, I don't have photos to show. If you have any further questions please ask away.

Jill