Tranquility Base

Or for us ol’ fuddy duddys who don’t like change, and have had GMT set on one reading of our dual time Citizen since the ‘70s …..it’s GMT and always will be. Bah Humbug.

I think so…..( note, I think so ). For certain on Princess in Aussie & NZ there is no smoking inside. This includes their Aussie / NZ World Cruise…..not just in local waters. As for other cruise lines, I’m not certain, but I think so.

Agree. This year we spent 138 days on Coral. Churchills was obviously non smoking being an Aussie based ship. It was a GREAT small lounge. A wide sea view thru large windows over the promenade deck. Large comfy armchairs. Next to Crooners for drink service. A very popular area for a read or doze off in the sun.

Nah…….my pilot is on leave in Kalgoorlie.

Does anyone have the address for the port / dock which Oceania may use please ? Something to use for our car service pick up point. Thanks.

Can you remind me of the stockperks email to use please.

Great. For future benefit of other readers, if on the inbound flight there are delays, do raise your connection concerns with the crew. They can arrange for quick disembarkation, and also notify operations. Ops can notify the transfer desk / boarding gate as applicable that you are on your way and therefore a tight connection can still possibly be made.

Was her AKL - BNE boarding pass issued when she checked in at JFK or was it issued in AKL ?

What has happened since October ? We flew to Europe from AKL in October and it was straight forward thru electronic passport control, and security was no more than 15 minutes. This was at 6:30 pm.

Did she have the 2nd sector boarding pass already issued when she initially checked in at JFK ? If yes, did she raise her concerns regarding the connection timings with the Inflight Service Manager / Chief Purser whilst onboard the flight to AKL ? Checking on arrangements for passengers with tight connections is a valuable part of the incoming flight crew’s service. On some occasions priority can be given so passengers can still make the connection.

What was the reason for that change ?

If possible try to cruise on a schedule which includes a scenic cruise through Prince Christian Sound in Greenland. We had an unscheduled transit through there on Coral Princess earlier this year.

So, just to confirm please. Re the buffet, are there 2 or 3 sinks each side ? Was there staff stationed there ensuring people used these ?

Does Grand have hand washing sinks outside the buffet, and a staff member stationed there to encourage compliance ?

Thanks for the review. Does the promenade have the full length padded loungers, or are they the unpadded chairs ? Good news regarding the internet.

As the Amenities are per stateroom, with a couple booked under SM can just one person in the stateroom use all of the shorex SBC ?

Not necessarily. They simply (pun intended once again) store it with your cabin number for future use by you.

Ha….nice try. However it would be TEPS in that case, as the word is ensure.

I wonder if, as SM slowly becomes more prevalent onboard, they may simply (pun intended) ask if you would care to have the bottle left during the meal.

I normally use either marinetraffic or vesselfinder. They do require ship’s internet. I don’t use them much onboard as I find the ship’s interactive navigation map suitable for my needs onboard. However I always use these sites from the hotel prior to boarding. That way I can check the current ETA and later the ACTUAL dock position. Be aware however, the ETA shown may be in UTC so you’ll need to convert to local time for your needs.

I don’t know what size ship you’ll be on, but I’ll be interested to hear where exactly you dock in Saigon. When I was doing some research for another trip I came to the conclusion it would be closer to town than Phu My ( large), but not right in town at Nah Rong ( 650 pax size ). The one in between these was about a 30 min shuttle ride into town.

@cruisemom42 Many thanks for those details. That is helpful.

I think they said (post #166) that port taxes were going to refund separately to their card, hence not included in the FCC.???

Thanks, How much time did you allow from leaving the ship / hotel to getting to your boarding gate ?

Our opinion / practise…..? We have been in the AUD versus USD situation many times. What do we do on USD based cruises…..? We keep the daily gratuities in place. If we identify specific crew we relate with well we tip extra to them. We are comfortable in our choice and let others with their own decisions do what they wish. As you quite rightly say…..a personal decision . Enjoy your cruise, no matter what you decide to do.