wishfulone

I don't know why I put myself through it. I find the cruise. I do the research. I select the cabin. Then......I pick up the phone and call the TA. She gives me land credit or OBC, a loyalty discount or something nice. 

Then, I find the price drop, better cabins added and .....I pick up the phone and call the TA.

Well, every time without fail, I get the new price, the better cabin and all the cruise line perks I had to start with. But....I lose the TA land credit, the OBC, the loyalty discount and the something nice.

Why don't I just save myself the heartache and book directly with the cruise line?

On 11/3/2018 at 4:56 PM, MicCanberra said:

I have it on good authority that the moving profile pictures actually use more power and therefore it costs the person more. If they want to save some money on power, then they will turn them off quick. This may be a fake claim.

They are still flashing. Perhaps someone could have a quiet word........

Some members posting on this new forum have moving profile pictures. Is there any wsy to turn them off?

10 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

I am stunned that you posted this comment. Did the crew actually say "You're rich, you're on a cruise?" Or what that the impression you had? If a staff member actually said that to me (or anyone else in my hearing), I would immediately report it to their supervisor.

 

We haven't experienced this attitude on any cruise ship, including the Sun Princess. Our cruising history dates back to 1983, with more  than 75 cruises. We have cruised on the Sun several times and on Princess, around 50 cruises. I mention these stats to illustrate that we have plenty of cruising experience.

 

I don't believe the staff are "stuck on this lesser earning (due to tipping) cruise route". They do not earn less than cruises on Princess in other parts of the world and they love the Aussie cruises. If they don't like it, they can request a transfer to another ship.

Did the crew actually say this: Yes. Over and over and I'm surprised with the history you're stating that you haven't heard it before on Princess. It's become the common mantra as far as we're concerned. 

I've edited because I forgot to respond about reporting it. Yes we did. The Maitre'd was not interested. His name should be very obvious to someone with your Princess experience.

Reread my statement re lesser cruise route. I was very clear and its meaning is not how you've chosen to interpret it.

The Sun Princess was a wonderful ship in early 2017. Shiny, glossy, the wonderful Crooners Bar for dancing, chatting, having a wonderful time. Sure there's a little rust on the balconies but it sails the seas doesn't it?

Shame about the attitude of the staff though. We sailed Sydney return and without exception the wait staff hassled us with the "You're rich, you're on a cruise" chant. Other staff were similarly offhand. We're Elite with Princess having sailed with them all over the world, but we found this attitude intolerable. Perhaps it was because Australians don't necessarily tip and they thought they were stuck on this lesser earning (due to tipping) cruise route? But before you go saying they don't earn much, think again. With cruise ship salaries they are earning much, much more than if they were in their own countries. They are comparatively wealthy and hailed as heroes when they go home.

We sail for destinations easily reached with the luxury of coming home to your own space every night, but we did not enjoy this cruise. Our onboard experience due to the unhappy attitude of the staff, particularly in the dining room was the worst we've ever experienced on any cruise line.

42 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

Is is an iPad, it is the stark amount of white that does me in.

Ditto. It's just too bright!

It's been a few years but we loved the Golden. She's a grand old ship in the tradition of ocean cruising. Problems, probably. Old, definitely. Your enjoyment will depend on what you expect.

We use room service a lot, always for breakfast, often during the day for a cuppa and occasionally for dinner but we've never tipped delivery staff directly. We keep a small bowl of sweets that the crew can help themselves to, Easter eggs, chocolate Santas, whatever the occasion but not money.

Those stewards that expect a monetary tip hover, realise they're getting nothing and don't return but there are plenty of others who enjoy a friendly chat, enquiry about their well being, interest in their life and future, their family and loved ones. They come back time and time again and always appear for a hug or two (always at their request) on the final day and many take away a book we've been reading, something small bought in a port, favourite Aussie magnets or a map that they've admired on our walls.

We've also been known to hand over the odd dollar to staff leaving the ship or visiting family at a port of call. I guess it comes down to showing kindness.

Thanks everyone. We went ahead and booked and we're looking forward to it as much as our Celebrity cruise a week later.

You don't need to order your cuppa the night before using the breakfast menu. You can just phone room service when you wake up. If you're early enough they also have hot muffins. Just ask!

Love watching it onboard on lazy sea day afternoons!

Depending on the time of year lunch or dinner at Doyles Watsons Bay. Its a Sydney institution for all things seafood. Catch a water taxi or the ferry from Circular Quay. There's a takeaway too and you can paddle your feet in the harbour while you enjoy your fish and chips! Great for a sunny day. Also on fish and chips and a wee bit more expensive is Catalina at Rose Bay and the best Greek food in Sydney is at the Athenian.

Have a great holiday Mic and Rosie. It would be wonderful if you wrote us a blog a la cheznandy. You know we all love to live vicariously LOL

We've sailed a lot with both Celebrity and Princess. We love Celebrity but have only sailed with them outside Australia. We have sailed out of Sydney on Princess a few times and found the experience underwhelming so much so that we'll never sail with Princess again.

My goodness Chris, what a trip! You have seen more of Australia than many Australians

Might be time you got out there and looked around your own backyard :):):)

Just saying:cool:

What's the story with Michael Boonzaaier? He's moved twice already this year. In our experience he runs a very disorganised MDR and his wait staff can be really rude. Hopefully he'll stay put on the Pacific and keep away from our next cruise.

I've sailed with MSC and Costa. It's a different experience. It's European...and if you are in Europe...why not?

The size of the ship is irrelevant. A large and crowded Princess ship will provide the same frustrations as a big and crowded MSC ship.

I'd go again IF the price and itinerary suited.

Thanks Vozzie and Blue Elephant. We're thinking the same way. We sailed on one of the RCCL megas in the states and there were kids and large families everywhere. I reckon we can probably cope with that if as you say the price, itinerary and timing are right. Cheers.

Thanks for the replies. The difference seems to boil down to the size of the ship and heaps of noisy kids. The cruise is only for 7 nights so maybe we can cope by enjoying the excellent Italian food washed down with a good bottle of chianti :cool:

At first I thought you must have been going to Perth to see relatives but if that's not the case then I'd fly into Brisbane or Sydney. Not that there's anything wrong with Perth because it's a really beautiful city.

Cairns is a wonderful suggestion for the Barrier Reef and our tropical north. I'd certainly take the time to fly to Alice Springs or Ayres Rock airport. Most tourists fly into one, hire a car and fly out of the other. The West Macdonnell Ranges are magnificent and the walks and experiences at Uluru and Kata Juta are enough to fill about three days and if you choose to just donthat then you'll save some time.

All up you'll need at least a week in the Centre, another in the north then a week or so driving from Brisbane to Sydney. That doesn't really leave much time to explore Sydney. So you neeed to consider adding more time or limiting the experiences to what you really want to see.

We're thinking of taking a short cruise on MSC in the Mediterranean next year. It has a good itinerary and fits neatly between an already booked Celebrity cruise and land touring. We've sailed with Princess, Celebrity and RCCL and realise MSC is considered a level below these. Does anyone have any first hand experience of MSC? What differences will we notice and what extras should we book/plan for? The ship and general activites seem much the same.

We've purchased the Gold package since our very first Princess Cruise. We try to have lunch in the MDR on embarkation and buy it straight away. We take the half bottle back to our cabin to enjoy on our balcony during sailaway. You can leave the bottle in the MDR and the waiters will produce it at dinner. This isn't always a fast service and we have had bottles go missing. You can also get the wine sent from the MDR to a speciality restaurant or vice versa. You can take these bottles with you anywhere on the ship but you may be asked by a vigilant waiter where it was purchased.

You can buy from the package at some bars, the buffet and specialty restaurants as well as the MDR. If you choose the silver package you can upgrade to the gold within the first few days of the cruise if there's nothing on the cheaper list that appeals to you. If you get the gold or silver you can pay the difference to upgrade individual bottles if that suits you better.

As someone already said, they frequently run out of the best wines, then the second best, before the end of the cruise. We often buy in advance and have the bottles put away or take them to our cabin. It's funny but the cheaper ones on the list are always still available.

We've really enjoyed following your adventures Chez. Thank you for sharing.

:d:d

because they cannot be kept in captivity, they are true escape artists and very cunning. If you manage to capture one and keep them in something they cannot escape from they become docile and pretend to be like an everyday koala until they see their opportunity to escape.:d

Love it!

What a shame she doesn't try to travel incognito on all the Princess fleet. I agree about the Diamond. It desperately needs to lift its game but so do some of the other ships in the Princess fleet. Those based in, or frequently visiting Australia are an embarrassment to both Princess and the cruise travel industry especially compared to the competition from cruise lines such as Celebrity and NCCl who attract a similar market.

All the public loos in the UK were a penny in the slot on the door,years ago.

Same in Sydney department stores in the 50s and 60s but there were dragon ladies guarding the loos. I remember my mother frantically searching for coins at Mark Foys with four of us under about 10:cool: