phoenixxx
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Posts posted by phoenixxx
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On 12/20/2023 at 11:02 AM, yes!yes!yes! said:
so glad we only booked a cheap hotel for last night as we got here around midnight. adina apartment hotel Southbank. $148 for a twin studio room. very nice and clean.
it has a nice kitchenette. looks new.
That seems like a very good price, world you recommend it?
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On 12/19/2023 at 2:24 AM, Waynetor said:
This is based on post in the current Royal Princess New Zealand thread but I thought it may be worth a separate post.
The Royal is doing a circle NZ cruise and was in Picton a couple days ago. Picton is the port on the South Island where ferries from the North Island come and go. It is a major wine production area.
The Royal was to leave Picton at 6pm but the Captain announced departure would be delayed due to a late arriving Princess tour group. When the group had still not arrived by 10:45 the ship prepared to leave and set sail at 11PM
Turns out the tour group were caught behind a major accident that blocked the hwy. With all the other vehicles similarly caught it took a long time to get clear and then was clear it would be a 5 hour detour to get back to port. The next port, after a sea day is Tauranga but there are no flight there so Princess will fly them to Auckland to catch up with the ship there. Their personal valuables, passports and medications were taken off the ship and were to be taken to the passengers.
No mention of how many people or if any private tour groups were also affected. No mention in the thread, but I assume Princess is covering all expenses - not sure about any refund for missed time but I would think likely enough to cover missed days on the ship.
This is rare, but can happen in areas with few roads. I seem to recall a case several years ago when ferries between mainland Mexico and the island of Cozumel were cancelled due to rough sea and a lot of people were stuck on the mainland missing their ships.
Private tours can save you a bundle but in a case like this, anyone on a private tour would have a huge expense.
Do you have a link to the Royal Princess New Zealand thread or advice where I can find it please?
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On 12/18/2023 at 3:06 PM, Ima Ginaree said:
Just to add another layer of complexity, when looking for insurance for my upcoming trip/cruise, I listed both Australia and New Zealand as countries where I require cover, because the cruise starts in NZ then visits four Oz ports, ending at Sydney.
When getting insurance quotes online, a couple of providers basically said ‘try again - you can’t have domestic and international on the one policy.’ This makes no sense in my scenario because it is all the one trip and I need cover from the time I leave home until the time I return. Obviously if I have a medical emergency onshore in an Oz port, I have ambulance cover, Medicare and private health cover to protect me. The problem only comes up if I need an emergency visit to the medical centre onboard, including if we’re at sea between 2 Oz ports. Anecdotally trips to the medical centre can cost thousands of dollars and the onboard providers and/or medical evacuation are not covered by Medicare or private health insurance, hence the need for a comprehensive travel insurance policy for the whole trip.
Luckily I found a provider with a policy that appeared to meet my needs. I rang them and double checked that my whole trip (including the Oz component) is covered by the policy.Which insurance company did you go with?
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18 hours ago, LincolnLegend said:
I'm not sure if it's the same, but I have just booked a trip which includes an NCL cruise through the mediterranean and the grats were built in to the price.
Did you book it in Oz/NZ?
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On 11/17/2023 at 5:13 PM, MicCanberra said:
That has been our experience
So if you make an NCL cruise booking in Oz or NZ but the sailing is out of USA (for instance), then grats are included in the cruise fare? Thanks
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On 10/29/2023 at 6:00 PM, cruiser3775 said:
Yes, we went past several other Pacific islands, very close, that I would love to visit, such as the Cook Islands and Tonga, though I don't know if they welcome cruise ships. We spent two days anchored just offshore at Long Beach, near Los Angeles, while the hull was cleaned, but no-one was allowed to disembark. I know it was a repositioning cruise, but they could have made it more attractive with some other port stops.
The ship seemed not to be anywhere near capacity, which I think reflects the number of sea days and the length of the cruise. I got this cruise for a very good price (balcony cabin for one person at the single rate, no single supplement, which was literally worth thousands of dollars), and it seems many others got excellent discounts, from conversations I had with other passengers.
How far in advance did you book to get this great price?
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On 10/1/2023 at 1:05 PM, OzKiwiJJ said:
My "Live(ish)" thread will be for the whole of our Japan trip including both cruises, Diamond and Explorer. We fly out on the 28th of this month so I'll probably start the thread a day or two before that.
Is there a link to your thread please?
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On 9/30/2023 at 7:14 PM, arxcards said:
They came and go. That is right about Grand next season. True that 25/26 could be a placeholder, but they need something there to replace Diamond that will be moving on after a single season. Short of anything fancy to announce, place markers are most likely the scheduled ship.
P&O was talking about Grand class more than 6 years ago, and some people assumed Grand Princess which was also the oldest of that class. After a bit of coin tossing, the Grand Class ship ended up being Golden. The following year it was Grand Princess being mentioned again, but was announced as Star Princess.
Princess could drop a ship or two at any time, but P&O doesn't have the market for another big ship. The tipping point isn't Perth, Adelaide or Melbourne - but Sydney. They will normally place two ships in Sydney for December & January, but are struggling to fill one. Next season, Princess is taking a ship away, Royal is taking a ship away, so P&O is not getting another next year. Regarding place markers, P&O doesn't have any for an extra ship, for which also hasn't been announced or available for sale.
Eventually, Auckland will get a full-time ship and Pac Explorer will be moved on, but neither will happen late next year.
Where is the info that Auckland will get a full time ship coming from please?
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13 hours ago, capriccio said:
We did the Round Australia cruise in April. Which ports are you asking about? The only one I can remember that had a Princess only excursion was Kuri Bay (pearl farm). I can tell you what we did at specific ports.
I'd like to hear this too please.
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20 hours ago, Ozwoody said:
Hi yes!yes!yes!
I have sailed on the old Dawn Princess (Explorer) several times, including a World Cruise on her.
I'm one of those Aussieflyer referred too, who loved the three sisters, Sun, Sea & Dawn princess's.😁
Having sailed on all three.
She is an older class ship, but P&O have done her up well I'm told.
But the main thing is she is now a P&O brand, what are they like?
Well truth be told, more or less like any cruise line, their different from Princess, they charge for things that princess provide free, but that is because in general they are catering for a different nitch of people.
Usually they aim for the younger partying, and/or families, we travelled recently on the Encounter, another old Princess ship, the Star I believe.
It was different than princess, and yes I prefer Princess, but that has not stopped me about to embark on a second cruise on her in a couple of weeks.
Its a cruise and I love cruising, its nice to try different lines.
Be bold explore, it will be fun.
Regards
John.
I would love to hear a report after your trip about the food on Explorer if you would be so kind.
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20 hours ago, cruiser3775 said:
You get off the ship, walk to Circular Quay. This is a five minute, or less, walk, perfectly flat, and there are bench seats all along it, so you can rest if you need to. At Circular Quay, use your credit card to tap on at the railway station entrance, then take the lift up to the platform. Take the train to the airport. It stops at both the domestic and the international terminals, so make sure you get off at the international terminal, because you can't walk between them. Tap off with the same credit card.
The train is easy with luggage, because there are no steps to get on, and there is an area just inside the doors with seats and space to put your luggage next to you. Here's the cost information:
https://airportlink.com.au/trip-information/price/
Can you explain "use your credit card to tap on" please?
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23 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:
Which ships are you comparing the Ruby to? Same itinerary? Island or Coral (always more expensive). Full transit?
Why is Coral more expensive and is that true for her itineraries in all parts of the world? Thanks
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18 hours ago, mrmarklin said:
We were recently in cabin d 121 on Sky Princess. It has a forward facing picture window which we loved. There was also a balcony on the side of the ship. Not large, but then on this class of ship only the aft balconies are decent IMHO. The cabin itself was a bit larger than the average suite, albeit with a slanted front wall.
There were some rough seas on the cruise and my wife and grandson got seasick. No question there is more motion and slapping sounds in 3 meter waves.
I would book again in a heartbeat. My wife said never again!
I'm with your wife on this!
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On 8/10/2023 at 1:41 PM, GJCruiser said:
I would never leave a ship with credits held by the cruise line. Go to the casino that last day and be sure you sufficiently charge off the credits left and get the cash.
"Charge off the credits" how do you do that please?
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On 8/7/2023 at 12:58 PM, Tripmode33 said:
Having been a loyal Princess cruiser with a few dozen cruises done with them, and a smattering of other lines, we resisted ever booking a P&O Australia cruise due to reading other's reviews and our 'perception'. A few months ago, we decided to find out for ourselves and booked P&O Encounter for a seven night Qld trip. Loved it! Based on that single experience, we think we'd enjoy a 32 nighter with them. But other commitments next year will prevent us booking. Could P&O have improved post-covid?
Not according to reviews I've read recently.
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5 minutes ago, Tripmode33 said:
I love New Zealand in any weather. A country truly blessed with natural wonder. We try to do a small land-based area each year. We'll never run out of areas to explore. It's a lot bigger country than most visitors imagine!
The timing of the P& O one is good but don't want to do 32 nights on P&O
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33 minutes ago, Tripmode33 said:
Actually the one that ended in New Zealand was the Pacific Explorer (P&O Australia) leaving early June 2024. 32 nights. While June is perfect for the Australian portion, landing in New Zealand early July is not ideal temperature for touring New Zealand.
If preferring Princess, Coral Princess connects an around Australia itinerary with an embarkation in New Zealand in August 2024. The Australian portion only does Sydney to Fremantle (Perth) anti-clockwise so misses the Southern Coast I believe. I haven't looked at adjoining back to back options. With this, again starting in New Zealand in August is not ideal timing for NZ, but nice weather for most of Australia, particularly northern half as approaching Spring.
Thanks for that. I'm in NZ so familiar with the weather here.
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35 minutes ago, Tripmode33 said:
It has come to be quite a popular itinerary. As well as Princess, we're now seeing other lines such as Cunard, HAL and P&O Australia offering it - the latter choosing June when all the other ships have left and June is usually nicer weather up north - less humid and hot.
The flexibility of starting and ending points is also improving, allowing for some land based sightseeing if time allows. One itinerary even ends in New Zealand, if combining the two countries in one trip.
As to clockwise or anti-clockwise, there is some good information on seas across the southern bite on the Australian forum in recent posts. I notice the next Coral Princess this October is going anti-clockwise but often it is clockwise. I wouldn't let the direction sway your decision. In my opinion the weather would be a bigger issue. But whichever cruise fits your schedule, I'm sure it will be a memorable trip.
Do you know which cruise end in NZ? Thanks
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53 minutes ago, Sailnsurf said:
Sydney to Brisbane would be anti-clockwise. Anti-clockwise is the common route.
I generally only follow HAL but for a time was considering Cunard and cannot re-call ever seeing clock-wise circumnavigation on offer but perhaps I just did not notice.
It's Princess, theirs all seem to be clockwise.
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3 hours ago, whogo said:
All else being equal, choose the clockwise option. What kind of nut would deliberately go anti-clockwise? (I'm looking at you, NASCAR and horse racing.)
Why would you choose clockwise?
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10 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:
Anticlockwise for October itineraries. The weather systems mostly come from the west across the Great Australian Bight. It's much more comfortable having following seas than head-on seas. We did this cruise last October and experienced some "interesting" seas around the south-west corner of Australia but Coral handled them very well. It's usually very calm across the top of Australia at that time of year.
However sometimes the March/April ones go clockwise which is OK at that time of year. Up north it's still the tail end of our cyclone season.
It's end October clockwise Sydney to Brisbane on Princess. All Princess seen to go clockwise. Do you not recommend this?
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10 hours ago, Tripmode33 said:
Would definitely help to know the month of travel. Best to avoid the heat and humidity of the north in our summer, say October to March. In Darwin, they refer to November as 'suicide month' for a reason. Also cyclone season in the the north, December to April worst period. If hoping to swim, snorkel or dive in the top half of Australia, including our Great Barrier Reef, research head to toe stinger suits due to Box Jellyfish in warmer months and Irukandji all year.
If I was planning the timing, I would choose April/May for bottom half into May/June for top half.
Of course if outside optimum seasons, you have the benefit of an air-conditioned ship, but shore excursions will be more uncomfortable up north in our summer.
The posters on the Australia/New Zealand forum respond readily with lots of helpful information.
30th October Sydney to Brisbane clockwise
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Does anyone know if it is better to do the Australia circumnavigation clockwise or anti-clockwise and the reasons?
I read something about this years ago and thought I'd saved it but didn't.
It seems some cruises do clockwise and some anti.
Looking at Sydney to Brisbane 30 October 2024 on Princess.
Looking forward to all comments.
TIA for any help
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1 hour ago, Astro Flyer said:
We’re booked on the March/April 2025 circumnavigation roundtrip Brisbane and have only seen the clockwise direction on Princess.Yes this is Princess end October Sydney to Brisbane, clockwise.
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Bring a slab of bottle water to Princess Cruise departing from Sydney
in Princess Cruises
Posted
The same goes for cruises departing from New Zealand.