Where are we going

[def0715]

Carnival has said Mare and Isle of Pines are closed through end of 2023 so we’ll now do two consecutive days at Mystery Island on the 1/29/23 Splendor sailing. Mystery Island isn’t even inhabited, and one day was more than enough when I was there in 2019. Would prefer two days anywhere but there. Holding out hope they revise the itinerary again for the better.   

Edited October 13, 2022 by def0715

[Aus Traveller]

6 hours ago, def0715 said:

Carnival has said Mare and Isle of Pines are closed through end of 2023 so we’ll now do two consecutive days at Mystery Island on the 1/29/23 Splendor sailing. Mystery Island isn’t even inhabited, and one day was more than enough when I was there in 2019. Would prefer two days anywhere but there. Holding out hope they revise the itinerary again for the better.   

Two days at Mystery Island!!! Although the island is lovely, I agree that one day is more than enough.

[MMDown Under]

1 hour ago, Aus Traveller said:

Two days at Mystery Island!!! Although the island is lovely, I agree that one day is more than enough.

Doesn't sound like itinerary changes are for the passengers benefit.  i think Qld Coastal would be better.? Gladstone 

[def0715]

What’s extra annoying is this is an 11-day cruise and I see shorter ones doing two days in Noumea and one day at Mystery Island. So it’s not a matter of not being able to get to Noumea twice. Mystery Island is a tender port too. Seriously disappointed. Guessing it’s much cheaper for Carnival to call on Mystery Island two days rather than Noumea two days. How many photos can one get in that soup pot? 

Edited October 13, 2022 by def0715

[MMDown Under]

12 minutes ago, def0715 said:

What’s extra annoying is this is an 11-day cruise and I see shorter ones doing two days in Noumea and one day at Mystery Island. So it’s not a matter of not being able to get to Noumea twice. Mystery Island is a tender port too. Seriously disappointed. Guessing it’s much cheaper for Carnival to call on Mystery Island two days rather than Noumea two days. How many photos can one get in that soup pot? 

Are they stopping at other ports as well as two days on Mystery Island?

[def0715]

Yes. It’ll be fine, but Mystery Island on two consecutive days perplexes me. 

[NSWP]

18 minutes ago, def0715 said:

Yes. It’ll be fine, but Mystery Island on two consecutive days perplexes me. 

Like stuck in Melbourne for 3 days on Coral Princess, recently. Would prefer Mystery Island..

[MMDown Under]

21 minutes ago, NSWP said:

Like stuck in Melbourne for 3 days on Coral Princess, recently. Would prefer Mystery Island..

No comparison as there is so much to do in Melbourne and outskirts. 

[Aus Traveller]

1 hour ago, def0715 said:

Yes. It’ll be fine, but Mystery Island on two consecutive days perplexes me. 

Maybe the decision to spend two days at Mystery Island was made by someone who hasn't ever been there.😁

[arxcards]

1 hour ago, Aus Traveller said:

Maybe the decision to spend two days at Mystery Island was made by someone who hasn't ever been there.😁

The crew love overnight stops, so they can head to the local pub after they have finished their duties - oh, wait 😂

 

Tendering there can be a bit weather dependent, so the second day will be handy to get you back on the ship when the weather gets rough on the first afternoon. 😉

 

It does give the option for something creative to happen though - perhaps to setup a sunset BBQ and bar on the island.

[Ondine]

Received an email the other day saying that our 14 night cruise to Fiji departing Melb on 9th Feb has been shortened to 13 nights due to "port congestion in Melbourne" and so we will miss Isle of Pines (which was a given) and depart on 10th Feb. 

 

However when checking Melbourne Ports website Grand Princess has disappeared completely and on the 9th Feb we have Regatta and Celebrity Eclipse visiting and on 10th Feb we have Seabourn Odyssey visiting and Pacific Explorer  doing a turn around.

 

I can't see how we can manage two ships doing both debarking and embarking on the same day in Melbourne with only one terminal and both loading supplies etc.  Don't think they can use the Spirit of Tassie terminal.  Not really set up for it.  mmmm

Edited October 14, 2022 by Ondine

[cruiser3775]

The Spirit of Tasmania moves to Geelong on 23rd October.  I presume they are going to upgrade its usual berth at Station Pier, once it moves on.

[arxcards]

1 hour ago, Ondine said:

Received an email the other day saying that our 14 night cruise to Fiji departing Melb on 9th Feb has been shortened to 13 nights due to "port congestion in Melbourne" and so we will miss Isle of Pines (which was a given) and depart on 10th Feb. 

 

However when checking Melbourne Ports website Grand Princess has disappeared completely and on the 9th Feb we have Regatta and Celebrity Eclipse visiting and on 10th Feb we have Seabourn Odyssey visiting and Pacific Explorer  doing a turn around.

 

I can't see how we can manage two ships doing both debarking and embarking on the same day in Melbourne with only one terminal and both loading supplies etc.  Don't think they can use the Spirit of Tassie terminal.  Not really set up for it.  mmmm

They can use the ferry pier and do occasionally, especially for the smaller ships.

2022-23 cruise schedule | Victorian Ports Corporation (Melbourne) (vicports.vic.gov.au)

Those listed as OESP are using the ferry side of the pier, which would be fine for day visits, not turnarounds.

 

The disappearance of Grand Princess from the schedule is very curious though.

[Ondine]

I came back through the Spirit of Tassie terminal on Wednesday.  They have removed all the tv screens and various other items to take down to Corio and the new terminal.  That berth would be IESP. 

I think it would be possible to embark passengers for a cruise ship but not if it requires customs. 

In February the Grand Princess will be coming in from NZ and departing for Fiji so customs required.  Pacific Explorer is only doing a 3 dayer to nowhere. 

They already have lifts and an escalator for admittance.  There is a passageway for security checks which has tables and a scanner at the end.  However to get on board the ship that escalator goes back down to pier level where you would embark on the Spirit via the back ramp.  So need a boarding bridge.  Not sure what other rooms/spaces are available at the terminal which I haven't seen or I can't recall.

Quite possibly it could be brought up to scratch to enable Australian cruises without too much trouble for this season. 

I wonder what will happen to the truck holding yard.  Could this be used for parking?

There are 3 cruise ships due in in 2 weeks for Cup Day but they are not doing turn-arounds so not such a big problem.  Just visiting.

[cruiser3775]

The Spirit of Tasmania carries walk on passengers without cars. They do not board via the car ramps at the back.

[arxcards]

5 hours ago, Ondine said:

 

There are 3 cruise ships due in in 2 weeks for Cup Day but they are not doing turn-arounds so not such a big problem.  Just visiting.

The 3 ships are a bit big to all fit at Station Pier.

 

Pacific Encounter is berthing at Webb Dock West, which I believe is the car dock. In the past, they have run a couple of ships under the Westgate Bridge to berth at one of the industrial docks for Melbourne Cup cruises, so there is plenty of capacity for day visits.

[arxcards]

On 10/14/2022 at 4:05 PM, Ondine said:

Received an email the other day saying that our 14 night cruise to Fiji departing Melb on 9th Feb has been shortened to 13 nights due to "port congestion in Melbourne" and so we will miss Isle of Pines (which was a given) and depart on 10th Feb. 

 

However when checking Melbourne Ports website Grand Princess has disappeared completely and on the 9th Feb we have Regatta and Celebrity Eclipse visiting and on 10th Feb we have Seabourn Odyssey visiting and Pacific Explorer  doing a turn around.

 

I can't see how we can manage two ships doing both debarking and embarking on the same day in Melbourne with only one terminal and both loading supplies etc.  Don't think they can use the Spirit of Tassie terminal.  Not really set up for it.  mmmm

That is doubly strange, and downright weird that Grand Princess would be bumped - the ship doing a solid season from Melbourne. Do you know where you are meant to be embarking, and I wonder if they are going to do something out of the box and start a night time boarding on 9th after Eclipse leaves, for a departure in the early hours of the 10th, before Pacific Explorer arrives??? Pacific Explorer has a rather unusual arrival time of 10am, which is pretty late for a scheduled turnaround day arrival.

[Ondine]

22 hours ago, cruiser3775 said:

The Spirit of Tasmania carries walk on passengers without cars. They do not board via the car ramps at the back.

You do kind of walk on the ramp as a walk on passenger.  An entrance at the side of the ship which if you keep going through another door is the ramp.    I know - took the wrong turn coming off on Wednesday. Went left instead of right.  Sorry if I don't explain it properly.  

[Ondine]

I can only think that someone at Princess stuffed up the booking or forgot to pay the holding fee.  It doesn't state anywhere on my paperwork where embarkation will be.  Usually Outer West for embarking passengers.  Only says Melbourne 4.00pm.  I think that used to be on the boarding pass which no longer exists.

 

I see that Explorer has a 7.00pm departure which is unusual for Melbourne.  She is doing an 80's 3 night cruise.

 

I notice that the cruise schedule has not been updated since 5 October so will wait and see what pops up on there.

 

Really weird that they would change the itineraries for 2 cruises causing problems for anyone on the NZ voyage who now get an extra day and may find that inconvenient if they have flights or work to get to.  We were not offered any compensation.  Only a pro rata refund of 1 days fare.

 

It's going to be messy with 2 ship loads of passengers debarking and embarking what with luggage, taxis, busses and the general chaos of the bottleneck at the pier.  Doesn't seem logical.

 

I await further information from Princess.

 

 

[NSWP]

The other week on Coral Princess at Melbourne, HMAS Warrumunga was berthed opposite, that berth would be vacant often I would think, room for another cruise ship like Grand Princess.

[cruiser3775]

This might help:

www.vicports.vic.gov.au/cruise-shipping/Pages/cruise-ship-schedule-1.aspx

[Ondine]

Grand Princess is missing from both 9th Feb (the day she should have been there) and 10th Feb the day we have been moved to!  Just have to wait and see.

[NSWP]

Just now, Ondine said:

Grand Princess is missing from both 9th Feb (the day she should have been there) and 10th Feb the day we have been moved to!  Just have to wait and see.

Have you considered she has been redeployed? Aaaaagh !!!!

[MMDown Under]

20 minutes ago, NSWP said:

Have you considered she has been redeployed? Aaaaagh !!!!

So much for planning a cruise being fun. 

[Ondine]

Well Melbourne Ports updated their cruise ship bookings today and guess what:  Grand Princess is still not listed for either 9th or 10th February.  Doesn't look like any of the other ships with bookings want to move.  Somebody goofed.