OzKiwiJJ

My new favourite pre-dinner drink is the Flamingo. I used to love the Lemontini but on our last cruise it tasted different - perhaps a different brand of citrus vodka - so it wasn't as nice. I love the Milky Way as an after dinner cocktail.

Were they booking through the app? I've heard that it isn't always accurate as to whether there are available tables. Try going to the restaurant, either the night before or early that night to see what is available.

That's not new. Even though they used to slip printouts under your door on the last night your account stayed open until you dinged off. Rolf drinks espressos and always had one or two with breakfast on the last morning of a cruise which were charged if we didn't have any coffee packages ones left. However mostly people don't charge anything to their accounts on embarkation morning so naturally assume the account is closed overnight.

I'm not sure about being part of the younger crowd 🤣 but we do tend to stay up lateish on cruises otherwise we don't have enough time for all the things we like to do. And we enjoy relaxed dining so we always eat in the MDR or occasionally at one of the speciality restaurants. No, we haven't done Alaska yet. It's still on the bucket list.

No different to pre-medallion days where the waiters would write down a folio number incorrectly.

Also unless you're walking around the interior of the ship all day long then you aren't wearing your mask for the majority of the time. For example: Leave cabin wearing mask to go to breakfast/lunch/dinner. Once seated remove mask to eat. However in the buffet you should wear your mask when going up for more food etc. After your meal put your mask back on before leaving your table. If you go outside to the pool you can take your mask off. If you go for a walk around the promenade deck you can take your mask off If you go to one of the inside bars you can take your mask of while seated. Some venues are "sip and cover" like the theatre and lounges where there are shows or events like trivia or bingo. You're not there for hours on end, most of these events are 45 minutes plus a bit more if you get there early to get a good seat. During a whole day, for us 8am to 11pm-ish so a 15 hour period, I estimate we wore our masks for only around 4-6 hours in total depending on whether we went to a show or not. Maybe a little more if the weather was too unpleasant to go outside.

Isn't being able to cruise again enough of an excuse to celebrate?

Well done on the Coral upgrade. Enjoy!

We take our own P2 masks which are very comfortable. We wear them when shopping etc at home so are happy to wear them inside the ship. I'd rather put up with the slight inconvenience of wearing a mask if it means helping to protect the wonderful crew from possible infection. Plus if it comes to a choice between wearing a mask or not cruising I'll happily wear a mask. 😁

It's a long way to travel for just a 9 night cruise. Why not save up a bit more and come to Australia when you can spend more time here. Do a 14 night NZ cruise as well as a South Pacific cruise.

Currently P&O and Princess require face masks to be worn inside the ship (except in your cabin). You can remove them to eat or drink although some venues like the theatre are "Sip and Cover". Both cruise lines are following the mandates set by our governments.

Of course but it says something that they need this warning: "Read label before use. Keep out of reach of children. Not for use on Contact lenses"

Passenger name, ship name, embarkation date. That's all you need for a memento.

Should have read the instructions first. It specifically says not for use on contact lenses.🤣

🤣🤣🤣 yes, they are!

I don't have a garage!

The medallions are magnetic. Guess where my medallion collection will be!

For those if you who wear glasses that fog up when you can wear a mask I recommend this product from the Chemist's Warehouse. We've been using it for a couple of weeks and it's fantastic.

Ohhh! They sound yummy!

But the airport terminals are a long way from the cruise terminal.

We book direct or through our Princess Planner. I have used online TAs for last minute deals ie within a couple of weeks of the sail date, but not for early bookings.

Happy cruising but remember only one Milky Way per day! 🤣 BTW I thought Crooners made better Milky Ways than the Wheelhouse. I'll be interested to hear what you think.

Higher than what? If it's higher than the current restart itineraries that would not surprise me as fares on those were lower than usual. It's also peak season and school holidays.

Thanks, Rose. I am a little bit concerned about the condition of the reef at the pontoon where the Princess excursion goes to so might give that one a miss. I've snorkelled a few times at PD, quite a few years ago, so probabky won't bother there either. I've got some other excursions in mind but are waiting until we see what the weather forecast is.

I doubt they would do that sort of itinerary during the peak cruise season, it would be too long for many people - see my comments above about that. And Coral starts the big cruises in March usually otherwise it woukd be an ideal end of season itinerary.