Tranquility Base

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As you say "Generally". In an slowly increasing number of countries, cheques are only to be found as a historical exhibit in a museum. For passengers from those countries all Princess refunds are handled electronically. Australia's current plan is to cease cheque use this decade.

I'd be happy if they eighty-sixed these and gave me the hour in port back.🏞️

Whilst I can't answer your questions specifically, here are some considerations I would take into account in your situation. 1. Last year on Riviera we docked in downtown at Trieste. 2. I would search for the port info and check if it shows your docking location. 3. Asking once onboard the staff should have an reasonably accurate answer for you. 4. Your previous port is only a distance of 110nm, so if you leave on time from there arrival time should be reasonably assured. 5. Remember the ship is on a Hop on / Hop off type schedule. Therefore, there will be many passengers onboard where the Trieste day is just a normal port transit day. 6. If it were me, I would be comfortable with your 10am pickup at the downtown terminal. Your transport company should be monitoring your arrival in the morning, and you can always contact them if things change.

How did the waiter find you 8 seats (I assume together as a group) that weren't obvious to you when you walked it. If it was simply moving some empty chairs from nearby, I've seen passengers doing that numerous times.

Perhaps, as well as saving the planet by reducing port times hour at a time, they are now also saving the environment one tablecloth at a time. 😇

One other snippet. Although the distance between Pago Pago and Apia is only 125 km, they are on opposite sides on the dateline. If you are booking private tours make sure you get the correct day.

Thanks, that explains why I couldn't initially find it. A nice mix of ports. Do make sure you are out and about for the sailaways at Dravuni & Raiatea. Especially Raiatea if the departure is past Taha'a and through the reef passage. Pago Pago, Raiatea, Moorea & Papeete require a tour to make the most of the day. Same with Apia, however if you want an easy day getting a taxi to Robert Luis Stevenson house is easy. There should be local money changers set up at the dock in Suva & Apia.

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Which cruise, departing from where ?

I spent 138 days on Coral Princess last year. That ship's currency is AUD, and if you book the fare in Australia, Crew Appreciation is included as part of the base fare. It cannot be modified onboard. Not once in all those 138 days did I feel I hadn't received anything but excellent service in any bar. Also, not once did I witness any cash being handed to the bar waiters or bartenders. Ahh..........such an enjoyable system and experience.

Which objective cruise reviewing sites do you refer to ?

One thing I do specifically recall was on a few occasions, just one of the production Singers did their own choice of songs accompanied by some of the orchestra. This was in Horizons at 5:30, so perfectly timed around happy hour. These were popular and well received. May not be a regular occurrence, I don't know, perhaps due to us having quite a few sea days.

Can you expand on that please. Are you saying there is no separate Reserve Class area for embarkation day lunch ?

Absolutely. From what I can gather many people seem to be spending between 2 & 4 nights in CPT. Many staying in or near the V & A Waterfront area.

Good advise. There are, slowly, an increasing number of passengers from countries where a cheque can only be found as a reminder of a bygone era inside a museum.

If Row 22 is an exit row, wouldn't it be Row 21 with no recline ?

I think an amount of the frustration stems from lack of effective communications as these situations arise. Something more specific than the overused generic "operational" reason would often be sufficient to ease the grumblings of most.

Thank you for you honesty in your post. What was the website you should have used please ?

Yes. Recently I booked a number of excursions . The online system uses, in order: 1. SM credits, 2. Other SBC showing in your account; 3. Cash.

We were scheduled into Amalfi / Positano late last year. A couple of days before hand, they announced docking now at Salerno due poor weather forecast. As you are heading in that direction on your cruise, that would be my poor weather back up plan. As far as Amalfi vs Positano, I was planning on the tender being to Amalfi. Positano has all sorts of logistical problems due to lack of close road access. Of course we never found out due to the poor weather. Look at the ship's tours on your cruise. On ours it had a ferry trip from Amalfi to Positano and return to Amalfi. Another reason I believed that Amalfi was the plan. The road is subject to a lot of traffic on the narrow winding road. Allow lots of time for your return to the tender pier.

That's why they provide the option of refundable or changeable fare options for the passenger to purchase if they wish.

Many of the airfares I purchase when flying to join / leave a cruise have a small fee for cancellation. Usually less than 5%, certainly it's a small amount in relation to the overall cost of the entire trip. As you say, it's an insurance policy. It's a personal choice which I take.

The NZTD is still being trialled regarding cruise ship travel. Even if your ship is part of the trial, they should still have paper forms as a back up.

We spent about 5 days on some recent cruises there. I walked a couple of times back from the Galata Bridge area to the ship. There are 2 or 3 streets which run parallel to, and next to, the Bosphorus. In this vicinity there were lots of eateries which were reasonably busy. The area around the JW Marriott Istanbul Bosphorus. I have no idea as to quality, but many were quite busy. NOTE: this is in the area outside the Galataport security area, not inside.