arxcards

Even some of the local higher-level staff had to move overseas to keep their jobs. Seems strange, no Aussie CDs on P&O, yet they have Aussie CDs here on Carnival. I think the short answer with why they don't have Aussie staff is very closely aligned with why the ships aren't registered here. Even P&O Australia is not much more than a sales & marketing office. Foreign owned, foreign ships, foreign staff, yet if they were Aussie owned, Aussie flagged with Aussie staff, very few of us could afford to cruise.

This topic is specific to Australian based cruises on Princess. The same also applies for P&O Australia and Australian based cruises on Carnival. It is not the same for NCL, or most other cruise lines where it is prepaid into your fare, or charged daily to your onboard account, depending on the cruise line.

For an Australian cruise? On Princess?

They get paid more as an offset to the daily grats they no longer receive. In the case of bar staff & waiters, they get paid more to offset the drink gratuities they don't receive here. P&O employ their own and most staff like the arrangement. Quite a few of our favourite crew have moved on to greener pastures since restart. For Princess & Carnival ships here on $AU seasons, some love it and others we have spoken with see it as a demotion - more money to be made on their newest ships based in the Caribbean.

While we were in the Majestic concierge lounge last year, one of the other passengers was talking about a free cruise as if it was probably just a casino offer via their mother. Turned out to be a win on Princess prizes, a free cruise anywhere, up to 7 nights in a balcony. It is operated as a sweepstake by the casino, so the house will always win, but nice to know there are winners out there.

One of the wags on one of the Townsville news social pages offered suggestions for shore tours. One was that the local teens could make some money by stealing cars and taking you for a joyride. Don't you just love a local bias of civic pride! 🤣

I don't know why there is a change for 25/26. If there was an issue with the channel silting up or the terminal being renovated, surely Pacific Encounter would be equally affected.

I won a medallion holder last year. I thought it most ironic - at the time, premier package included Princess Prizes and a medallion holder.

24/25 is saying docked in Cairns, 25/26 is saying Yorkeys.

Should be able. The ferry runs regularly enough from an adjacent wharf. As to what is readily accessible to do when you get to Maggie Island, I don't know.

Depends. If it is a bad cruise, it may have a dual meaning.

I do like their 1 night cruise on 23rd April 2025. It has been a while since we have done a 1 nighter. These are nice looking itineraries, and for those seeking variety .... If not for our Crown WC, it would be tempting. I am surprised they are not dual porting it with Brisbane to get their numbers up.

Here is the other piece of the puzzle. Larger ships have been unable to dock, restricted by the size of the shipping channel. This is already in hand, as they are doubling the width of the channel. https://www.dts.qld.gov.au/news/latest/2023/tourism-boost-as-cruise-line-giant-adds-townsville-to-itinerary-for-2025

Townsville is upgrading their cruise terminal to cater for larger ships. There is no mention of the wharf capacity, which I believed to be too small for most of our homeported ships. Townsville is showing in some P&O and Princess itineraries, with no mention of a water shuttle. Great news, especially for those QLD coastal itineraries that are full of tender stops. https://www.townsville-port.com.au/quayside-terminal-transformation/

I had thought the terminal would only handle the smaller ships. I recall it was designed in the days of Pacific Sun/Star, yet Brisbane had already scored Pacific Dawn by the time it was completed, and she was too large to dock there. But good news - last month they announced an upgrade to the Quayside terminal. Really, this is awesome for an itinerary that is loaded with tender stops. https://www.townsville-port.com.au/quayside-terminal-transformation/

Yes, P&O's two ships have returned, and Carnival Splendor will be back in Sydney on Tuesday. All ships dropped Lifou & Noumea from their itineraries. For Carnival, it would seem that Luganville will be substituted for the Noumea stops, and for many months to come. P&O itineraries are a bit more varied and the itineraries will have different alternates to suit. Something official would be nice, but I expect our current ships will be out of Noumea until at least the start of cruise season (Oct). Even if the unrest dies down, the uncertainty will linger for a while. Lifou could be a bit different, as they don't have an expat population to fight against, but cruise ships won't return until they can assure passenger safety. Next affected departures: Adventure departs today for Fiji, with Noumea as the first scheduled port. Port Vila is a logical replacement. Splendor - 11th June Encounter - 22nd June Explorer - 8th July

@Bubbeh I find it annoying at times, as I use ampersat for other things when I type.

It is largely the same the world over. Different lines share the terminals, which are staffed via the shipping agent by sub-contractors. When the cruise line advises check-in times, the terminal is appropriately staffed for those hours, including luggage drop, check-in staff & customs. I agree 100%, someone who cruises out of Honolulu regularly will be best able to advise on how the terminal operates. Late departures are common in Honolulu.

I noticed these itineraries were available online yesterday, but I had forgotten to check for a couple of days prior. Now that we have locked in our rather unique cabin, I thought I would share. How close were the guesstimate itineraries above? 10/10 The 21st & 24th December itineraries are also available as a combined 14 night Sydney to Brisbane cruise, which would offer similar ports to the original Syd-Syd cruise. Alas, there is heaps of cabins available, so there must have been plenty of existing passengers jumping over to Discovery Princess or cancelling. Syd-Brisbane-Noumea-Lautoka-Suva-Dravuni-Brisbane. All those in bold have swapped over from Grand to Crown with the same itinerary. These are still unavailable for booking yet until they have sorted the current swap-over passengers. The 2 x NZ itineraries are yet to be uploaded. 10th March - Airlie-Townsville-Yorkeys-Port Douglas-Willis 18th March - Newy-Syd I am curious that Diamond Princess docks in Cairns in 2024/25, yet Crown Princess is at Yorkeys in 2025/26. The QLD itineraries also show Townsville as being berthed, and that surprises me.

Our drinks have a higher ticket price than the US, but as mentioned, the bar/menu price is the total price.

Sandfly bites aren't fun. I had a few encounters when I was young, one of the downsides of getting around with a yabby pump. My nan's remedy seemed to work - Sunlight liquid on the bites. It certainly took away the sting.

I gather Conflict Islands is still on your schedule? Enjoy your cruise. Post whatever you like, including nice pics.

Just updating my packing list for P&O + Antihistamine cream +

Pun of the week. 🤣

Sounds like an awesome time in port. Thanks for sharing your experience and those fantastic photos.