Dawn Princess South Pacific - just wondering about a few things

[hawkers2008]

Semi-reluctant first timer (taking two weeks leave and not playing any golf somehow just doesn't seem tight) but I digress I am inter-alia wondering what various things will cost.

 

* typical drink costs

* internet

* laundry and laundromat

 

And I was wondering about a few other things

 

* what does the soft drink deal cost, does everyone in our party have to take it

* what are the good deals on the ship

* what should be avoided like the plague

* whats the telly like - do they have good live sport feeds, good movies

* whats the cinema offering like

* how effective is travacalm, the patches, the wrist bands for motion sickness

* assuming they work apart from the travacalm where do you get them and how much should they cost

 

don't suppose anyone is up for a game at natadola bay - we would have to high tail it in cab its 45 mins from Denaru

 

oh and btw I am really looking forward to the cruise

[Kinkacruiser]

Semi-reluctant first timer (taking two weeks leave and not playing any golf somehow just doesn't seem tight) but I digress I am inter-alia wondering what various things will cost.

 

* typical drink costs

* internet

* laundry and laundromat

 

And I was wondering about a few other things

 

* what does the soft drink deal cost, does everyone in our party have to take it

* what are the good deals on the ship

* what should be avoided like the plague

* whats the telly like - do they have good live sport feeds, good movies

* whats the cinema offering like

* how effective is travacalm, the patches, the wrist bands for motion sickness

* assuming they work apart from the travacalm where do you get them and how much should they cost

 

don't suppose anyone is up for a game at natadola bay - we would have to high tail it in cab its 45 mins from Denaru

 

oh and btw I am really looking forward to the cruise

 

There's currently a Dawn Princess Live thread so you could direct these questions to the poster. He's been doing a great job with his 'homework' .

Here's the link..

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1496086

 

Just do a copy and paste to save time.

[Aus Traveller]

Semi-reluctant first timer (taking two weeks leave and not playing any golf somehow just doesn't seem tight) but I digress I am inter-alia wondering what various things will cost.

 

* how effective is travacalm, the patches, the wrist bands for motion sickness

* assuming they work apart from the travacalm where do you get them and how much should they cost

 

don't suppose anyone is up for a game at natadola bay - we would have to high tail it in cab its 45 mins from Denaru

I think most of your questions will be answered on the other thread.

 

A couple of comments - I used to take Travacalm but on a cruise where we had 10m seas (and our cabin was near the bow) they weren't effective. The medical centre on the ship recommended Avomine. I bought it on the ship and felt a lot better. The nurse told me they have found it to be the most effective for motion sickness on the ocean.

 

When you mention a game at Natadola Bay are you referring to golf? You mention Denaru so I assume your cruise is calling there. There is at least one golf course at the resorts in Denaru and usually several people from the ship go for a game.

[jig]

We were on the sun princess in Sept. You don't say weather you are Australian or American.

Drinks are $10.25. Soda cans are $2.55. Tips are incl. We are Elite so we do not pay for laundry or internet but you can buy 250 min for $100. The steakhouse is great and at $20 extra is well worth it. The television had Fox news, BBC and Sky from UK. Movies and American sit-coms. The movies under the stars is kinda cool however we never went however a lot of people did.

Auto tipping has been removed if you are book in Australia. However if you book in the US the charge is on the bill. You can leave it there or give on your own. Australians pay way more then Americans for the same cruise just to say they don't want to tip. The extra is way more then the auto tipping would be.

You will have a great time. It was one cruise I could not find any fault with.

[patatie]

Semi-reluctant first timer (taking two weeks leave and not playing any golf somehow just doesn't seem tight) but I digress I am inter-alia wondering what various things will cost.

 

* typical drink costs

* internet

* laundry and laundromat

 

And I was wondering about a few other things

 

* what does the soft drink deal cost, does everyone in our party have to take it

* what are the good deals on the ship

* what should be avoided like the plague

* whats the telly like - do they have good live sport feeds, good movies

* whats the cinema offering like

* how effective is travacalm, the patches, the wrist bands for motion sickness

* assuming they work apart from the travacalm where do you get them and how much should they cost

 

don't suppose anyone is up for a game at natadola bay - we would have to high tail it in cab its 45 mins from Denaru

 

oh and btw I am really looking forward to the cruise

 

Good deals I think depends on what you, as a person, enjoy and are willing to spend money on. I think the drinks package is a good deal, but that's because I consume alot of juice and softdrinks, so I will be getting the Ultimate Soda and More package. Pricing differs between who you ask (I called Princess (Australia) and was told around $6 per day, but others have reported about $8 a day), so maybe call Princess yourself to confirm. Not sure about the cost of just the soda package, I know there are several threads on here about that though.

 

RE Travacalm, I found it to be absolutely rubbish, did nothing for me. Maybe ask a pharmacist for something stronger, or look at getting a script for something more effective.

I also found wristbands to be ineffective, but others I knew used them and said they worked great! So I guess it depends on the person.

Oh, I seem to remember Kwells (Tablets) working ok too.

 

 

Auto tipping has been removed if you are book in Australia. However if you book in the US the charge is on the bill. You can leave it there or give on your own. Australians pay way more then Americans for the same cruise just to say they don't want to tip. The extra is way more then the auto tipping would be.

 

Sorry, I don't mean to start another argument about tipping, but I really can't stand it when foreigners get this wrong. Auto tipping is removed when booking in Australia NOT because Aussies don't want to pay tips, or because it makes us feel better this way. There has been a recent change in the law which affects price advertising....basically companies have to advertise the price as a WHOLE, including extras (such as tipping). Cruise prices in Australia have not differed much since the changes in the law, so our high prices have nothing to do with our attitude towards tipping!!!

[Aus Traveller]

Sorry, I don't mean to start another argument about tipping, but I really can't stand it when foreigners get this wrong. Auto tipping is removed when booking in Australia NOT because Aussies don't want to pay tips, or because it makes us feel better this way. There has been a recent change in the law which affects price advertising....basically companies have to advertise the price as a WHOLE, including extras (such as tipping). Cruise prices in Australia have not differed much since the changes in the law, so our high prices have nothing to do with our attitude towards tipping!!!

Sorry I don't agree with one point you mentioned. :) Maybe Ms Sherry (the CEO of Carnival Aust) has it wrong also:D (just kidding). When she announced the removal of auto-tipping on Australian based cruises she said it was because traditionally Australians do not like to tip.

 

The Australian law relating to advertising the WHOLE price relates to the inclusion of taxes. It is not legal to advertise a price 'plus taxes' whether they be GST, port taxes or airport taxes.

 

I agree with you that I have not seen a great increase in cruise prices since the removal of the autotips, and we have been able to get good deals at a similar price to a couple of years ago.

 

Service standards haven't changed - but then none of us would have expected that they would. The staff are all professionals and take pride in theor work.

[hawkers2008]

I think most of your questions will be answered on the other thread.

 

When you mention a game at Natadola Bay are you referring to golf? You mention Denaru so I assume your cruise is calling there. There is at least one golf course at the resorts in Denaru and usually several people from the ship go for a game.

 

Natadola Bay is a new course, some guys I know from a golf forum reckon its fantastic. I know about the Denaru Golf & Racquet Club - its busier and the forum guys reckon its only average.

[Aus Traveller]

Natadola Bay is a new course, some guys I know from a golf forum reckon its fantastic. I know about the Denaru Golf & Racquet Club - its busier and the forum guys reckon its only average.

There are plenty of taxis available at Port Denarau, but you will need to negotiate the fare. The base price seems to be AUD$20 (or US$) per hour (or maybe slightly more). When you negotiate specify the currency, otherwise the taxi driver will assume you mean Fiji dollars which is much less. I have mentioned this price so you know where to start with your negotiating.

[patatie]

Sorry I don't agree with one point you mentioned. :) Maybe Ms Sherry (the CEO of Carnival Aust) has it wrong also:D (just kidding). When she announced the removal of auto-tipping on Australian based cruises she said it was because traditionally Australians do not like to tip.

 

The Australian law relating to advertising the WHOLE price relates to the inclusion of taxes. It is not legal to advertise a price 'plus taxes' whether they be GST, port taxes or airport taxes.

 

I agree with you that I have not seen a great increase in cruise prices since the removal of the autotips, and we have been able to get good deals at a similar price to a couple of years ago.

 

Service standards haven't changed - but then none of us would have expected that they would. The staff are all professionals and take pride in theor work.

 

 

Maybe I am wrong. But then maybe that's just the spiel they're putting on to customers...the new CCA, replacing the TPA has new rules about component pricing which requires the minimum total cost of the goods/service to be displayed/advertised. In the case of cruises, this includes the auto tip (which, while you can remove it, many people (esp first time cruisers) are unaware of it being charged until the end of their cruise, by which time it is too late to remove it). I'm pretty sure you can look the changed laws up to see the exact relevant section...but anyway we're way off topic here. :p