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Everything posted by OzKiwiJJ
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Princess; 'check in' from '1pm to 4pm'
OzKiwiJJ replied to LittleFish1976's topic in Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
Probably because 80% of the passengers will drink any old wine. It's not bad wine if you just want a white wine or a red wine but if you know your wine varieties then it's pathetic and very limited. -
Princess; 'check in' from '1pm to 4pm'
OzKiwiJJ replied to LittleFish1976's topic in Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
I doubt they'd ever remove drinks from the Plus and Premier fares. There would be no point. But if you want good quality drinks i.e. wine then it's a different story. -
Princess; 'check in' from '1pm to 4pm'
OzKiwiJJ replied to LittleFish1976's topic in Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
Hopefully you'll make to the MDR before 1:30pm. They should really extend that to 2pm or 2:30pm if they're not starting boarding until 1pm. I get quite grumpy if I don't get my MDR embarkation day lunch! -
Princess; 'check in' from '1pm to 4pm'
OzKiwiJJ replied to LittleFish1976's topic in Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
Sometimes they have to start boarding later than usual in Melbourne. It depends how late the ship docks and on the Border Force people. On the cruise we did in March out of Melbourne, still under the boarding group system, Group A boarding wasn't until 2pm. Boarding appears to have gone back to the old style, turn up when you like but at least they're giving you a start time now - in the past it was just assumed to be around 11:30. There are no slots any more. I suggest turning up about half an hour early, you never know they might start check-ins early even if you have to wait in the terminal for a bit before getting on to the ship. -
400 Gradi replaced by P&O Trattoria
OzKiwiJJ replied to arxcards's topic in Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
400 Gradi is a Melbourne restaurant / pizza group, one of the first true Neopolitan pizzerias in Australia. In Sydney we have Via Napoli instead. 400 Gradi (400 degrees Celsius) refers to the temperature the woodfired ovens have to reach to cook the pizzas in 90 seconds. Unfortunately I don't think cruise ship pizza ovens operate at this temperature which is why cruise ship pizza never comes out as good as a true Neopolitan pizza - they have to cook it much longer so it dries out more. -
400 Gradi replaced by P&O Trattoria
OzKiwiJJ replied to arxcards's topic in Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
So no longer under the umbrella of the 400 Gradi chain, now just a regular cruise line Italian restaurant and pizzeria? Interesting! -
That's wonderful, Stu. Have a great cruise. Friends of ours will be on that cruise so I'll no doubt hear all about it.
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The beauty about places like Maxwell Rd is that you can choose what looks good, you're not just ordering off a menu. Many years ago I went to the Newton Food Centre and spotted someone having a very interesting fish dish. I asked what it was and where it was from. It was Sliced Fish Hor Fun and was delicious. After that trip I went back there a couple of times to have it but, sadly, on the second visit that outlet had closed down. Maxwell Rd used to do a really good Hainan Chicken Rice.
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The Singapore MRT network is quite extensive these days so it should be easy to find somewhere near a station. It's definitely the best way to get around Singapore - cool and comfortable. But taxis are quite cheap there too but sometimes in the evenings it can be hard to get one.
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See if there is anything suitable in the Chinatown area, or even just back from Orchard Rd. The Marina Bay area tends to be expensive. Look for somewhere near an MRT station. When are you going there?
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In Singapore you can eat very cheaply, and very well, at the hawker stalls and food courts but there are also some very expensive restaurants there.
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Botany Bay Cruise Terminal canned.
OzKiwiJJ replied to NSWP's topic in Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
But it's obvious what the perfect solution is ... just kick the navy out of Garden Island! 🤣 -
Botany Bay Cruise Terminal canned.
OzKiwiJJ replied to NSWP's topic in Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
That would be even worse to get to than White Bay and much more expensive if going by taxi or Uber. -
It was fine when we were on it last year. You just have to accept it isn't one of the new ships but IMHO it's one of the best. Very spacious public areas and aft viewing decks with loungers if you want somewhere quiet to sit outside. The Sanctuary has it's own pool which is lovely. We loved the Good Spirits Bar - here in Australia it was the best place for coffee during the day if you didn't want snacks - there is also an International Cafe for those that do want snacks. We liked it so much we kept booking additional cruises and ended up doing 66 nights on it.
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They were when we were on Coral Princess last year in the Australian region. We worked our way though most of the Good Spirits menu during the various cruises we did then. We never got charged anything extra.
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Are the app developers working for the competition?????
OzKiwiJJ replied to TopofWorld's topic in Princess Cruises
I agree, and I'm another ex-ITer with 30+ years experience. -
We stayed at the Royal on the Park in the CBD. It's an older hotel but very comfortable. It's across the road from the Botanical Gardens so easy access to the riverside walkway. There seemed to be plenty of restuarants nearby but we chose to dine in the hotel restaurant which is excellent with a great range of modern Australian/Asian fusion dishes. Check online booking sites as well as the hotel site - we got a much better price through one of them even though it wasn't a last minute booking.
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Observations, first time on HAL. Zaandam 23Aug to 03 Sep 2023
OzKiwiJJ replied to Blackduck59's topic in Holland America Line
Happy birthday, Lyle. Have a wonderful cruise. -
Now for something completely different
OzKiwiJJ replied to Blackduck59's topic in Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
I hopevyou have a great cruise. I'm really interested in seeing what you think of HAL. -
Typically Wellington shuttles (for all cruise lines) stop near the iSite information centre in Wakefield St, which is a short walk to the Te Papa museum. They often have another stop i the city which has varied a bit over the year - apparently last year they were stopping in Brandon St, near the corner of Lambton Quay, which is a short walk to the cable car. I suggest meeting at the iSite.
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Princess Shareholder question for Aussies
OzKiwiJJ replied to Cbtours's topic in Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
Yes indeed. We'll probably do the world cruise next year with them as they are the only cruise line that offers a world cruise round trip from Australia but after that we might not cruise Princess any more. And for the world cruise we still have time to cancel (up to the end of October) and if that idiot does any more downgrading of what we booked we might very well cancel.