Tranquility Base

For those who qualify. There is a new thread on the Princess forum that the military obc may once again be combinable with the shareholder obc. That non combinable policy was only introduced about 6 months ago. I don’t think anyone has had it confirmed yet, but for those interested keep an eye on that thread.

Do you know if it is name dependent or cabin dependent ? IE: Purchase for 1 person, but either person in the cabin can use it at different times during the day ? Thanks.

Santorini. Would anyone know if the ferry from the Old Port to Oia is still operating ? If it is, would it be operating during the first week of December ? How might I find out ? Thanks.

Can a regular local Civitavecchia taxi enter the port gate and proceed to the terminal ?

What time did you arrive ? Was it busier when you first arrived or when you left ? Thanks.

Thanks, I just checked the AIS and see you are on your way; now just passed Lions Gate Bridge. Enjoy your run to Sydney.

Any update ?

Many thanks.

Thanks. So, just confirming please. The shuttle is mandatory and you are able to get off at the port gate if you wish ?

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A bigger concern for me is how many large ships are in each town on the same day. Hence early May is often a favourite, as generally fewer of us day trippers in town. Check out the claalaska website as part of your planning.

How much effort a cruise line puts into finding a replacement port is important also. Recently, on another cruise line, we were a day late making our Westbound Suez transit due to technical. We therefore had to miss Mykonos after the Suez due to the need to regain the schedule in the Med. They did however, give us an unscheduled 5 hour stop in Messina which still meant we were back on schedule the next day. They could easily just have made it a sea day, but they obviously put some effort into making the missed port as palatable as possible. They earned much kudos for that.

Reduced fuel bill ?

Did you not get the email about 6 months ago ?🤔

Saving the planet one hour at a time......🌏🥵

Perhaps not applicable to your situation, however for info: Note they are 1st entry and Westbound from Alaska to Japan. Regent forum, Live from Explorer, post # 134.

Princess operates a fleet which has some ships which can use the Old Locks, and other ships which can only use the New Locks. When they first publish their itinerary on their website they indicate which Locks are planned to be used for each cruise.

When we went through about 5 weeks ago there was a large crowd in the Miraflores Lock Visitors Centre and the Restaurant Balconies. Even though there was light rain, people on both shore & ship were out and about waving & yelling. We were also fortunate about 5 years ago to be in Miraflores Lock whilst the chamber next to us was empty with maintenance being conducted. That made for unusual viewing.

Thanks. We always check the Nav info first thing if there is some doubt as to arrival time. We then amend our early morning plans if it is obvious we are either missing or going to be a few hours late into port. I have found that Guest Services on other lines generally treat us with respect by giving us a reasonably accurate answer to a query we may have in this regard. However, I don't solely rely on that, and sometimes make my own judgement as to timings which are plainly obvious.

When you first woke up, was the navigation page on your TV showing accurate information ?

In my experience it is normal for the 'cleared by the local authorities to proceed ashore' announcement to be made via the PA over the hallway speakers.

In my experience it is normal for tendering commencement timings to be announced on arrival. Normally done using the PA using hallway speakers.

Which cruise ? (Got it, just saw your roll call) We are doing one of the longer ones next year, so always looking for up to date reports on ports / ship. Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

Thanks for the updates. A couple of non-urgent questions please as you head south. 1. I assume the promenade deck has chairs as opposed to loungers. If so, are there just a few chairs or numerous ? Are they padded ? 2. I don't know if this repo is under US or Aus rules. If smoking is allowed inside IE: Casino; is the smell noticeable much around that area ? 3. Are there many people utilising One5 lounge in the early afternoon... ie around 2pm ? According to my weather chart the seas look OK for your passage over the next few days.

For info: construction of a cruise terminal in Papeete has commenced.