Hammoandnads

You got sent to the “far queue” .

That’s all you’ll need (the 2 initial vax). The process is quick, just a glance at those documents. My international vaccine certificate (Australian one) has a QR code on it but they don’t scan it - just glance that you brought it along. On a recent trip they didn’t ask for photos of our negative tests, but I had them just in case. Boarded in Sydney, whereas Melbourne and other Aussie ports will likely be more thorough.

So I rang Princess after the detective work and they didn’t need the details - they just merged my P&O and princess accounts! It was amazingly easy and great service.

Thanks Arxcards for the links. The chats were helpful and I think I know what voyage we were on 🥳

Thanks Belmont Babe. I have my passport, but I forgot to request stamps for that trip.

Hi Cruisers! Does anyone recall the itineraries for P &O week long 5, 6 or 8 day cruises out of Sydney (Wharf 8 Darling Harbour) to the Pacific Islands in May 2006? I recall we went to Isle of Pines, Port Vila and Mystery Island. I’m planning to update my Princess Captain’s Circle membership if possible.

Are there any days where the premium package is worth it? thinking of a cruise out of Sydney to Fiji and New Cal and I’d like to work remotely on the sea days. I’d need very good quality internet on those days.

For those of you who like a cuppa in their staterooms, on the Diamond Princess you can request a kettle for your room.

DH has been describing his ‘winning’ strategy for our upcoming trip, he takes these events very seriously. Sigh.

What are the prizes do they give for participants - OBC or souvenirs?

Thanks Aggie and to all who posted, sounds promising!

Been checking out the sports 24 channel and only NHL is set for late November early December.. so no NFL or FIFA World Cup. Budget cuts or will we be pleasantly surprised on board?

Thanks Jim, Shelly, Princessfan and Carri- I’m thinking of buying an arrangement for my Mum and Aunt in their staterooms. We are on a 20 day cruise so that’s perfect 🤩.

Thankyou, that’s been super useful. No more tipping faux pas for us!

I can confirm that in Aus, we never tip at pubs, even when we buy a meal. The exception is fine dining with table service. We don’t leave a tip in our hotel rooms, it’s all included in the base price. We have industry wide minimum wages for all - staff get higher rates on weekends and permanent staff get 4 weeks paid vacation leave (with a 17.5% loading to cover the additional costs of their vacation) and 2 weeks paid sick leave per year and non permanent staff get a 25% loading on their base wage. I didn’t realise you leave money in the hotel room - do you leave a thankyou note? What about Airbnb?

How much does it cost to order flower arrangements for your stateroom? Also interested to know what the quality is like and how long they last.

We’re still confused, as Aussies we are only used to tipping in fancy restaurants. We want to tip in bars on board, if it’s the norm on top of the standard gratuity, is it $1 per drink left on bar when the drinks are handed to us? Does the type of drink matter?

Thank you for reminding us Kyle of the good people out there protecting us and trying to help. It is too easy to ignore the losses.

Think about using a daily face cream with sunscreen in it so that your eyes don’t sting in the humidity. Olay has one that you can pick up at chemists or Woolworths supermarket on George st. Another good option is Vaseline green body moisturiser with aloe Vera and sunscreen in it. Enjoy your vacay!

We’re being ghosted. Harsh way to break up with us Sparky!

The diamond princess had stateroom kettles in Japan. Will be interesting to see if they remain when in San Diego