PollyLong

We are taking our first ever Celebrity cruise in December and I am trying to work out whether a drinks package would work out good value or not. Our cruise was excellent value, but drinks are not included as a perk.

I understand the currency onboard is USD which to my mind means that as Australians, our drinks will be super expensive! Just wondering if other Aussies can offer advice on this? We are not huge drinkers, but hubby likes beers, Bundy rum and a glass or two of wine on holidays and I like wine spritzers, and a couple of cocktails a day. We rarely drink softdrink, juices etc and would probably only want a coffee or two daily.

Any thoughts?

We would like to cruise on the Diamond out of Tokyo next year, however I understand there is no Anytime Dining on cruises out of Japan?

Thanks,

Polly

Hi smalldog

We are booked on the Fijian Jewells cruise in December so I have read with interest about the problems with Sea Princess. I am not personally worried about our cruise, I understand from a friend who is cruising later in October that she is out of dry dock so I hope the problems have been resolved. I can't comment on the communication from Princess re the problems of course, but I gather from the message boards that some people have been quite unhappy.

I completely agree with you re departing from Brisbane, so much simplier than having to fly to Sydney! We have only done 3 cruises, and have loved them all. I think if you go with the flow and stay positive, you tend to have a fantastic holiday.

All the best with whatever you decide.

Regards

Polly

Hi All

My hubby and I are doing a Christmas cruise on Sea Princess and I was looking for some information regarding activities available onboard. Do they have an enrichment program, galley tours, etc? My hubby has a disability and using the ship's tenders is difficult for him so we have extra days on board while cruising. We both love to read so passing time is never a problem, but it's good to know what other activities might be available. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

I know the ship has had some bad press lately, but I am so looking forward to our cruise!

Thanks, Polly.

We have just booked a cruise on the Sea Princess departing 19 December - Fijian Jewels. Any info greatly appreciated. We are cricket tragics and I was wondering if we can expect to be able to watch the Boxing Day Test while on board. Last Christmas we sailed on the Pacific Dawn and were disappointed that we didn't get to see the cricket on that occasion.

Many thanks for any information.

Thank you Murgat, I appreciate your advice. Have you been to Luganville in Vanuatu and is it a tender port?

I am looking at a Princess cruise to fiji in December this year, and from what I can gather on the Princess website, Port Denarau is not a tender port. However, when doing a bit more research on the web, it appears that in fact cruise ships anchor off shore and tender passengers aboard. Can someone please clarify? My husband has a mobility problem and tender ports don't suit us so it's really important that I know for sure.

The cruise also stops at Suva but the ship appears to dock. Confirmation would be great.

Thanks so much for any advice.

I am thinking of booking the Christmas cruise departing Sydney on the 22/12/14 and would appreciate any info/feedback. I have coeliac disease and require a gluten free diet - I would be very grateful if anyone can tell me if gluten free options are available at the various dining rooms on board. My husband walks with the aid of a walking stick - again, any info would be terrific. Many thanks!