ceeceeDee

Australian citizens need only photo ID to cruise domestically. We did 7 days Brisbane to Cairns round trip in June last year and that was the case.

For anyone interested, this is the current Ultimate Romance package For us we probably wouldn't get our money's worth. Hubby is not the champers aficionado (pearls before swine springs to mind 😂), we already get canapes every night from day 2 with a Byron suite, we don't find breakfast in bed romantic (yeah, I know, we have no soul), dinner at Luke's last year was less than $140 for the two of us and a photo portrait of Gatsby night was around $30 from memory. Luke's and the photo were covered by our OBC. We found this more to our liking and pre-ordered it to be delivered to our room upon arrival on embarkation day. It was a really good Sav Blanc, too:

Luke's is awesome!

We feel for them. We were without power for 5 days over Christmas due to the tornado that went through the Gold Coast like a dose of salts!

Totally agree, Geoff. We opted to go to Angelo's for the majority of our evening meals. We even booked a specific table in our favourite waiter's section.

Positive thoughts that they stay safe.

What ship are you on? You can definitely fit cases under the bed on Encounter.

Packages could be bought on board on a cruise we took in 2018. However, I think P&O have now changed the policy and packages must be bought in advance. Perhaps you should contact P&O and ask for clarification in your son's case as it's a bit of a grey area. Also, consider how much alcohol he is likely to drink. It may work out cheaper if he just pays as he goes. Average cocktail is $16 and I think beer is about $8-10. Premium drinks package is $99 per day. I've just had a look on the P&O website: Beverage packages can only be purchased pre-cruise and are not available onboard.

Me too, obviously🙂

🤣 I thought you were counting the hours! I've got 327 days to go........................

Me too

Bon Voyage!

We sailed on Symphony pre-Covid. Yes, it had the wow factor and all the bells and whistles but to be honest it didn't feel like a cruise ship. We much prefer something smaller. However, I suppose we can say 'been there, done that'. I am certainly not interested in trying Icon (just my personal opinion, and certainly not a reflection on anyone who loves the mega ships) - unless RCI offered us a freebie (as if!).😂

Good old Dawnie........... We have done a couple of cruises on her in the cyclone season (both to South Pacific) and were really lucky with the weather. Yes, it can be a bit of a gamble but we have once again put our cards on the table and doing a South Pacific Christmas cruise this year. Quite frankly, if there ends up being an itinerary change, it really won't bother us. We're happy just to be on a cruise. Fingers crossed that the current potential cyclone will not be bigger than Ben Hur and wreak absolute havoc.

Cyclones are notoriously unpredictable. We lived in Cairns for 15 years and the number of times a cyclone was supposed to cross the coast near us and instead bolted south or stayed out to sea and crossed north of Cooktown, I couldn't count. We were always prepared for the worst, but it was often a case of 'expect it when you see it'. There was one memorable occasion when a cyclone went up and down the coast for days before finally deciding where it would cross. Accordingly, I think the cruise companies have pulled the right rein in altering their itineraries. Pax may be disappointed, understandably, but that is the risk you take cruising the tropics in cyclone season. Better safe than sorry.

The Sophie to whom I refer joined Encounter around May last year. I'm pretty sure the cruise we were on was her first gig in the role.

So they keep saying!😂

The 'creepy granny' with the menacing garden shears and diabolical laugh is someone you are familiar with on this forum (honestly, I scrub up a helluva lot better in real life!!🙄). Beware, coming to a cruise near you soon! Bwaa haa haa!🤣 CeeCee

The latest ad for Sun Safe - Qld Health https://campaignbrief.com/the-sun-gets-its-own-horror-movie-in-queensland-healths-latest-sun-safety-campaign-via-chep-network-brisbane/

If it's the Sophie I am thinking of (we last saw her on Pacific Encounter) she's a gem. A Yorkshire lass, I think. Very outgoing and lots of fun. I think she could do with not piling on the make up so heavily, but that's her choice.🙂

I'm pretty sure Daz mentioned on the P&O forum that they are on Explorer

Haven't been on Coral personally, but a close friend loves her to bits.

Exactly. It is a very brief tender ride, which is just as well to avoid a tender hide (those seats are not comfortable)😂

Comedy of errors! Or were they trying to give you a taste of what it would be like to abandon ship?😯

Last time at Airlie we only had to wait about 10-15 minutes for a tender back to the ship which wasn't too bad in my opinion.