Brisbane Cruising Being Treated Crook By Princess

[robncruise]

2 hours ago, Ozwoody said:

Hi thinking about Easter Island, I started thinking about WC's, we always turn south when we come through the Panama Canal, WHY?

Why could we not turn north, there are a lot more places I would love to visit in that direction.🤔

Who would prefer a right turn, and where would you wish to visit that way???🤤

Was on a world cruise segment Dover - Auckland   on Dawn Princess  2010 I think.  We "turned right "  after the Panama Canal.  Costa Rica,  Nicaragua and  Mexico  ( was supposed to be Acapulco but changed to Manzanillo  then on to LA  then back to Honolulu then Tahiti Bora Bora Fiji Samoa Auckland.  I think cruise lines are becoming more economical with port stops ?

[Ozwoody]

11 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Because Australia is south of the equator. Turning north would certainly be more interesting but would add many more days to the itinerary. South lets them line up for the run across to Tahiti etc.

Not really, current run is six ports to Auckland and approx 15000km.

If you took the north route, picking up six ports (for example: Mexico; Los Angles; Hawaii; Somoa; Tonga; and Fiji), it would be only an extra 1000km to the trip.

Maybe an extra day if you still included an overnight stay somewhere.

[Ozwoody]

9 hours ago, robncruise said:

Was on a world cruise segment Dover - Auckland   on Dawn Princess  2010 I think.  We "turned right "  after the Panama Canal.  Costa Rica,  Nicaragua and  Mexico  ( was supposed to be Acapulco but changed to Manzanillo  then on to LA  then back to Honolulu then Tahiti Bora Bora Fiji Samoa Auckland.  I think cruise lines are becoming more economical with port stops ?

Well there you go, it seems possible.😁

[OzKiwiJJ]

10 hours ago, robncruise said:

Was on a world cruise segment Dover - Auckland   on Dawn Princess  2010 I think.  We "turned right "  after the Panama Canal.  Costa Rica,  Nicaragua and  Mexico  ( was supposed to be Acapulco but changed to Manzanillo  then on to LA  then back to Honolulu then Tahiti Bora Bora Fiji Samoa Auckland.  I think cruise lines are becoming more economical with port stops ?

Maybe they're doing more port stops around Europe and the Baltics. The 2024 world cruise is three days longer than usual but I'm not sure how that cruise compares to others on number of ports stops.

 

Princess does seem to vary the itineraries year to year so another "right turn" may be on an itinerary some year soon.

[ekka49]

23 hours ago, Ozwoody said:

Hi thinking about Easter Island, I started thinking about WC's, we always turn south when we come through the Panama Canal, WHY?

Why could we not turn north, there are a lot more places I would love to visit in that direction.🤔

Who would prefer a right turn, and where would you wish to visit that way???🤤

A couple of West Coast American ports would make a nice change

[OzKiwiJJ]

When we did a San Francisco to New York Panama Canal cruise we loved the stops in Mexico, Guatamala and Costa Rica but Nicaragua was a bit weird. We stopped at San Juan del Sur which was a beautiful spot but it felt like the place had been sanitised. The only locals we saw were operating the bars, shops, souvenir stalls or taxis, the streets were empty.

[Ozwoody]

2 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

When we did a San Francisco to New York Panama Canal cruise we loved the stops in Mexico, Guatamala and Costa Rica but Nicaragua was a bit weird. We stopped at San Juan del Sur which was a beautiful spot but it felt like the place had been sanitised. The only locals we saw were operating the bars, shops, souvenir stalls or taxis, the streets were empty.

That would definitely be spooky, sounds a bit like you would be entering the "Twilight Zone".😱

[MMDown Under]

11 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

When we did a San Francisco to New York Panama Canal cruise we loved the stops in Mexico, Guatamala and Costa Rica but Nicaragua was a bit weird. We stopped at San Juan del Sur which was a beautiful spot but it felt like the place had been sanitised. The only locals we saw were operating the bars, shops, souvenir stalls or taxis, the streets were empty.

If you cruise in to Alaskan ports after the end of the season,, all the tourist staff have gone home outside of Alaska.  

[OzKiwiJJ]

10 hours ago, Ozwoody said:

That would definitely be spooky, sounds a bit like you would be entering the "Twilight Zone".😱

It didn't feel spooky, just boring. There was none of the "colour" that locals bring to a town. No vignettes of daily life. I didn't actually figure out why until we were back on the ship.

[Ozwoody]

39 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

It didn't feel spooky, just boring. There was none of the "colour" that locals bring to a town. No vignettes of daily life. I didn't actually figure out why until we were back on the ship.

Why? was it during the civil unrest?😟

[NSWP]

58 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

It didn't feel spooky, just boring. There was none of the "colour" that locals bring to a town. No vignettes of daily life. I didn't actually figure out why until we were back on the ship.

Having visited cruise ports in Central America and Mexico etc, the authorities seem to clean the places up a bit, i.e. get rid of the undesirables (sometimes) and put more police on duty to give an impression of safety and security to encourage the tourist dollar.   That is my impression anyway. Hence the 'twilight zone' lol.

[arxcards]

3 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

If you cruise in to Alaskan ports after the end of the season,, all the tourist staff have gone home outside of Alaska.  

Juneau lives on. Ketchikan & Skagway are real in a sense (lumber, fishing etc) but also have a façade for tourists. I see the same in some of the Pacific ports though. Anyone in traditional dress or Hawaiian shirts/muumuus  is part of the tourist theme or wants to sell you something; look beyond that and you see jeans, nike's, designer brand t-shirts.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, Ozwoody said:

Why? was it during the civil unrest?😟

I think it might have been. Quite a few of the other passengers decided not to go ashore. We went ashore with a small group of friends and had a short wander around then went back to the ship.

[Ozwoody]

14 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I think it might have been. Quite a few of the other passengers decided not to go ashore. We went ashore with a small group of friends and had a short wander around then went back to the ship.

I was afraid that could be the reason, was hoping you were going to say it was a Sunday.😁

[NSWP]

10 minutes ago, Ozwoody said:

I was afraid that could be the reason, was hoping you were going to say it was a Sunday.😁

Indeed, 99% Catholics in those country and most go to Holy Mass on a Sunday, all dressed up in the bag of fruit.

[MMDown Under]

1 hour ago, arxcards said:

Juneau lives on. Ketchikan & Skagway are real in a sense (lumber, fishing etc) but also have a façade for tourists. I see the same in some of the Pacific ports though. Anyone in traditional dress or Hawaiian shirts/muumuus  is part of the tourist theme or wants to sell you something; look beyond that and you see jeans, nike's, designer brand t-shirts.

Yes Juneau is the Capital of Alaska so has more local Alaskans, but the tourist people leave at the end of the season.  

Be careful at Fiji Market if someone tries to hand you wooden craft as they won't take it back hoping you will buy it.

Of course, I've met more genuine kind locals than con artists, which is a highlight of overseas travel.  

 

 

[Ozwoody]

2 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

Yes Juneau is the Capital of Alaska so has more local Alaskans, but the tourist people leave at the end of the season.  

Be careful at Fiji Market if someone tries to hand you wooden craft as they won't take it back hoping you will buy it.

Of course, I've met more genuine kind locals than con artists, which is a highlight of overseas travel.  

Yes, the adventure of travel is the wonder of each place you visit.

Even the ones you have to be alert in. And their not necessarily the grotty ones.

Once in Lisbon we were greeted by a group of women selling scarfs, one woman whipped a Scarf around tourists neck to show how it looked, when the woman said no, the lady took the scarf and left, about a minute later the tourist cried out where's my necklace.

That quick and it was gone.😬

[MMDown Under]

2 minutes ago, Ozwoody said:

Yes, the adventure of travel is the wonder of each place you visit.

Even the ones you have to be alert in. And their not necessarily the grotty ones.

Once in Lisbon we were greeted by a group of women selling scarfs, one woman whipped a Scarf around tourists neck to show how it looked, when the woman said no, the lady took the scarf and left, about a minute later the tourist cried out where's my necklace.

That quick and it was gone.😬

Didn't know that one!  However, I knew the ring one and saw several attempts in Paris.  Pays to check latest scams on internet before you travel.  

[Ozwoody]

2 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

Didn't know that one!  However, I knew the ring one and saw several attempts in Paris.  Pays to check latest scams on internet before you travel.  

What was the ring one?

[MMDown Under]

4 minutes ago, Ozwoody said:

What was the ring one?

Someone picks a ring up off the ground and asks if it is yours, handing it to you to see.  They then won't take it back, saying it doesn't belong to them and you may as well have it for a reasonable price for gold.  

Of course, it is not gold!  I used to ask people being scammed if they spoke English.  If not, I would shake my head and finger and say "scam" hoping they would walk away.  The lady where we stayed in Paris made my friend take her solid gold bracelet off with soap, saying you can't wear any jewellery. And you never stop for anyone with a petition!  We were forewarned.  

[Ozwoody]

11 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Someone picks a ring up off the ground and asks if it is yours, handing it to you to see.  They then won't take it back, saying it doesn't belong to them and you may as well have it for a reasonable price for gold.  

Of course, it is not gold!  I used to ask people being scammed if they spoke English.  If not, I would shake my head and finger and say "scam" hoping they would walk away.  The lady where we stayed in Paris made my friend take her solid gold bracelet off with soap, saying you can't wear any jewellery. And you never stop for anyone with a petition!  We were forewarned.  

There are some devious people out there....🤬

Yes being forewarned is for armed.

Maybe we should collect a short list of the scams most tried.🤔

Edited September 3, 2022 by Ozwoody

[OzKiwiJJ]

6 hours ago, Ozwoody said:

I was afraid that could be the reason, was hoping you were going to say it was a Sunday.😁

It was a Saturday.

[Ozwoody]

7 hours ago, NSWP said:

Indeed, 99% Catholics in those country and most go to Holy Mass on a Sunday, all dressed up in the bag of fruit.

 

56 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

It was a Saturday.

 

Maybe that 1% was Jewish and they all lived there...🤣

[cruiser3775]

My worst scam was in Barcelona. You get on an escalator going up and there is someone in front of you. As you near the top of the escalator, this person drops some coins, stops dead at the top and bends down to pick them up. You bang into them. While you are sorting yourself out and apologising, their accomplice, behind you, picks your pocket, which you don't notice because the one in front is brushing you down and apologising.  I lost a wallet that was attached to my belt with a chain that they cut. Lesson: never put a wallet in your back pocket.  

[Ozwoody]

15 minutes ago, cruiser3775 said:

My worst scam was in Barcelona. You get on an escalator going up and there is someone in front of you. As you near the top of the escalator, this person drops some coins, stops dead at the top and bends down to pick them up. You bang into them. While you are sorting yourself out and apologising, their accomplice, behind you, picks your pocket, which you don't notice because the one in front is brushing you down and apologising.  I lost a wallet that was attached to my belt with a chain that they cut. Lesson: never put a wallet in your back pocket.  

I have a little fob wallet with a spring belt clip, its just large enough for my drivers licence, my budgeted local currency, a copy of the important passport page, and my credit card.

It slips into the front of my pants clip outwards. Anybody fiddling around there I'm going to know about.😁