charliedalrymple

I stand corrected. Congratulations!! 😁

I love ng ing wine, but I can't find it anywhere in Australia! (Sorry, I couldn't resist! 🙂)

If I understand your post correctly, you submitted a bid to upgrade to a higher level cabin. The notification you received is simply informing you that your bid has been received, but it does not mean that you have been upgraded. That could happen any time up to the day before your sailing, at which point your credit card would be charged. In the meantime, you are still assigned to your original cabin (and would remain there if your bid is not successful).

I will admit complete ignorance of and a total lack of interest in all things Lord of the Rings / Hobbit. I'm just curious--were the movies actually filmed at Hobbiton? I would imagine that would make it quite exciting for fans.

Atlanta Cruiser said it perfectly. Of course, there is a wide range of personalities and interests amongst 18-year-olds, and you know your daughter best. On a 10-day cruise several years ago, we befriended a lovely couple who had brought their 18-year-old and 17-year-old sons. The boys were as different as night and day. The older son was a somber, middle-aged man in a boy's body who loved nothing more than sitting with us adults and drinking tea while discussing politics and current events. The younger son was a bon vivant who made friends his age immediately and we scarcely ever saw him, except for when he occasionally ran past with a gaggle of shrieking adolescents. Both boys loved the cruise!

Yes and no. On our cruise there was a rotation of entertainers in the Crown Grill Bar. The best was a Brazilian singer who accompanied himself on guitar. There was also a piano player (who did not sing) and a violin duo. The latter two were overly amplified for that space, in my opinion. The band from the theatre also appeared there twice, which was a real treat--especially when they did a jazz set.

Count me in as well! Crooners has always been my favourite spot on Princess ships, and it was the one downside of our recent cruise on Majestic.

They just had a live shot of Sydney Harbour on the local news, with Majestic prominently on display! 🙂

If I may make a suggestion, have cocktails in the bar at the top of the Shangri-La Hotel. Magnificent views of the harbour!

It has been fascinating to follow this ongoing adventure, supplemented by the perspectives of those arriving on the Majestic. Thanks for your thorough reporting!

We also miss bar snacks to enjoy with cocktails. We sometimes purchase them at the little sundry shop on the Piazza level and bring them to the bars. (I honestly can't remember whether they sell peanuts.)

Aside from the lack of response: Perhaps I'm alone here, but I had no idea that parmesan cheese was made with animal products, and I would have considered a dish with parmesan to be vegetarian. Is this widely known in the food service industry?

Hmmm....you seem to favour reds. I think that Australia is better at whites, while the Kiwis produce better reds. I'll be interested to hear your perspective. Don't forget to try the cocktail bar at the top of the Shangri-La if you have the opportunity!

I think one upside of COVID is that most people are much more conscious of personal hygiene. I will admit that I generally didn't wash my hands before a meal prior to the pandemic, but now I always do. I've also become one of those people who uses a paper towel to open the door of public restroom when I'm leaving. Now if we could just do away with handshakes and greet everyone with the "Namaste" instead.

One thing to remember in Australia: An "entree" is an appetiser, and a "main" is....well, a main course. 🙂 And you don't have to tip. Ever.

One thing I would definitely recommend in Sydney if you haven't done it before is the Harbour Bridge Climb. It's pricey but worth it. Be warned that they will give you a breathalyser test in advance. Another tip: Go for drinks at the top of the Shangri La Hotel. It's a magnificent view of the harbour!

Yes, I completely agree with this. I was thinking about the under-10 crowd.

It was on the Majestic to New Zealand over Christmas 2023. I should note that Aussies love to go barefoot and it's not uncommon to see that in stores or coffee shops on land. But I'm sorry, not in the MDR. (This was actually on a so-called formal night!)

It definitely made us drink more than usual. However, in our case that meant 5-6 alcoholic drinks per day rather than two.

I read this thread just to see whether "butter" was a typo.

The old locks are definitely on my bucket list. My parents did a full transit through the old locks and thought it got rather tedious after the first few hours. Do you share that opinion? Would you recommend a partial transit or even a small-boat excursion instead?

I'm curious: do you mean "real" VIPs (like celebrities or politicians), or does it include passengers who have done a gazillion Princess cruises but aren't staying a suite?

You are not. I was very surprised when I saw so many complaints about them, because they have never bothered me.

I'm late to the party, but here is my wish list. (If you read my recent Live from our New Zealand cruise, some of these will come as no surprise.) * Lower the volume of everything on the ship to half of what it currently is, especially events in the Piazza. * Better still, move the raucous Piazza events to the Vista Lounge. * Offer child-free cruises. I'd definitely pay more for those. * Make bars off limits to children--and empower the crew to enforce it. * Make Princess Live (and while I'm at it, most venues aside from the Piazza) off limits to children after 10:00 p.m. (Are you sensing a theme?) * Offer two levels of Plus and Premium: the current one with 15 drinks, and a cheaper version with, say, seven drinks per day. * Call formal nights something else to be more inclusive (i.e., no expectation of tuxedoes and ball gowns). * On the other hand, enforce bare minimum dress standards in the MDR. I know that will be controversial, but my expectations are super-low. I'm talking about no workout clothes, bare feet or flip-flops, torn t-shirts, etc. Yes, I've seen all of those in the MDR. And again, empower crew members to enforce it. Disagree if you must, but hey--it's my wish list!

Them's fightin' words for members of this community! 🙂 Many of us enjoy the onboard experience as much as the ports, if not more.