arxcards

Just make sure your tent has an insect screen. Not much fun getting rhino beetles in your sleeping bag. Looks like they are getting worse. https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/487698/post-cyclone-rhinoceros-beetle-outbreak-concerns-in-vanuatu

We haven't had a plus package applied to our world cruise ($AU ex- Sydney) in 2025, and the water package is most definitely available for pre-order for us: It works out about the same price as petrol down here, and I can't see that it will be much more expensive to buy large bottles individually over the bar as needed throughout the cruise. Do you have elite status? You could get your mini bar swapped out for bottles of water.

Also backed up today via Royal's social media pages. Same ships and same ports - seems like we are going back to basics on most lines for 24/25.

As a rule, I am not a fan of the waste created from bottled water, but I do dink it when travelling, for the same reasons. Adding water filtration at home 30 years ago was an awesome thing to do. Last week, Barb excitedly showed me a new filtered water bottle she bought from Tupperware. I asked her - what about the Brita water bottles? Her response - are they filtered? Wow, we have been using them for 15 years. 😂

Not just desalinated water in the tanks. Lots of good ole Sydney (or other homeport) water taken aboard on turnaround day. Without chlorine added to otherwise pure water, bacteria would thrive in the tanks, pipes and the water itself.

That fits the policy that Carnival Australia applies to P&O and Carnival here, but it has never become that strict for Princess in Australia --- yet, anyway.

I thought any chance of that disappeared a few months back when the Vision bookings disappeared around the country. Till then, it could have been a marker for any ship, but no extra bookings usually means no extra ships.

I can't see this option for Majestic in November. I figured it won't show when we already have a drinks package?

It is nothing new for entry level cabins here, but the US won't cop this. Refundable deposits will still exist for the better categories. The non-refundable stuff is about preventing the queue of price-match bookings any time a sale comes along. In a way, they have been doing it here for years on lots of their promo fares. So, - you book a guarantee, which as a balcony is a BF, - you find they have allocated you a BD or BE balcony, and you laud them with praise for your complimentary upgrade, - a promotional fare (read sale) is announced for the entry level BF guarantee cabins, for considerably less than you paid, - you try to get the lower price, but it is only in BF and not for your dearer BE cabin. Next option is to cancel/rebook, but you will lose your initial deposit in the process and be giving up your potentially better located cabin for another BF guarantee. We booked a few cabins on reduced deposits last year ($99), and these were all non-refundable even for the cabins we could pick.

The answer depends on who you are cruising with. I am presuming Princess. Princess seems to have done away with water packages, and their soft drink package is almost as expensive as booking a plus fare. Plus gives you water, coffee, alcohol, internet all bundled together, otherwise just buy as you go.

Sorry, I also presumed Bristol UK in my answer.

The OP was asking about Feb 2024. At this stage, Rydges isn't taking bookings that far ahead. You won't need a new hotel for this October.

This would be double scary if officer Alfie Smith is currently aboard the Grand. If the ship is being sympathetic to Titanic, I wouldn't want to see a Smith on the bridge.

Mr beer drinker, For Juneau, pay for a cheap tour from near the ship to Alaskan Brewery. The location is nothing special, but the ticket covers you for transport and tastings. Quite a nice little microbrewery. They do seasonal small experimental batches, and there was something so awesome about the bourbon barrel aged porter they had on tap while we were last there.

The bookings mentioned are port bookings, made by the shipping agent with Brisbane Ports to make sure Quantum of the Seas has a berth to tie-up at.

Melbourne's main cruising destination is across the Tasman to New Zealand, and April/May is not favourable weather for any ship to be doing those itineraries - the only possible ship to be doing out-of-season cruising from Melbourne is P&O's Pacific Explorer, and she will be based in Fremantle (for Asia) and Cairns during that period. As mentioned, Carnival or P&O from Sydney, P&O from Brisbane -- or, cruise home to Dover from Sydney for a half world cruise on Coral Princess.

Rydges sold their Rocks hotel late last year. I don't know when the change of ownership comes into effect - it will become part of the Crystalbrook chain. It will still be a hotel, but not sure if there is a renovation period that will close down much of the hotel. Depending on the price you can get, yes Quay West is close enough to do a bag drop. The Marriot is even better located, and is often on par for pricing.

We will be spending a bit of time in the UK in 2025, but a narrowboat pub crawl isn't on the agenda. Yes, always nice to drink somewhere where it isn't death by 50 IPA's. Locally, I like a couple of the Murray's drops, and go there for lunch once in a while.

I guess it comes down to what is leaking. A blocked aircon condensate pipe is a lot less of an issue than a waste pipe. Majestic is indeed a newer ship, but I much prefer the layout of Grand.

That seems to be the current trend that everyone is brewing - too hoppy or too gassy. Shame that the pub has no (unique) beer.

Do the cruise. If that cruise jumps out at you, why not do that one instead of wishing other cruises were like it? The Aussie site version is showing as $AU 7349pp, but that will include taxes. 😉 Where else are we to go. Some of the Pacific stops haven't reopened after the pandemic, others like some of the Tahiti stops are not letting large ships call any longer, and we still have a hangover that long cruises here still return to port with a shipload of covid. This time last year there was nothing here and I also recall winter cruising here with one ship based in Brisbane and one in Sydney, and it was just how it was. Once you got hooked into cruising, it was time to fly overseas to experience new ships, new ports and new cultures. There is every opportunity for NCL or Royal to come here during the winter and ruffle Carnival Australia's nest. They won't though, because it will be a financial flop. If you want to do a real cruise in winter, fly to the Northern hemisphere which is where more than 95% of the worlds cruise options lie.

Bistro Sur La Mer is no longer on Majestic Princess. Next month prior to her Alaska season, she will be getting a specialty seafood restaurant - "The Catch". I get the name, but the timing is interesting, considering what we caught on Majestic on this cruise. I am not a huge seafood person, but Barb will love the change of restaurant and menu when we get back to Majestic in November. The ambiance is unlikely to change, as I can't see the layout being much different. https://www.princess.com/news/news_releases/2023/04/princess-cruises-unveils-the-catch-by-rudi-new-signature-seafood-restaurant.html Yes, I know, I still haven't put a bunch of photos up. Maybe one day.

I reckon that is because the 11 night cruise (M505A) is a hybrid of the 7 night M505 and the 4 night M506 itinerary. I have also been considering this 11 nighter for my 60th. You can also book those BE balconies for the 4 nighter, but to save complexity with their archaic systems, it is hard for them to show the same cabins as available on both the 7 night and 11 night options (it would be possible for you to be booking a cabin on the 11 nighter at the same time I was looking to book the same cabin on the 7 nighter or the 4 nighter) We have also found the same issues when looking at world cruise sectors vs the complete world cruise. PS: There are selectable BE cabins available for the 11 night cruise, but those are aft cabins.

It depends on ships and seasons, as some come and go. We enjoyed a couple of Alaskan Brewery beers on Royal Caribbean a few years back, but they were gone again for the following season here. Carnival does try. If you are cruising the Caribbean. Carnival Vista brews 3 of their own aboard. - https://www.carnival.com/-/media/images/explore/fun-activities/menus/redfrog-pub-brewery-menu.pdf In Australia they have Red Frog Summer Ale on tap, which is from Lord Nelson Brewery in Sydney. They do have some of their imported Red Frog varieties in bottles as well, so Carnival Splendor might be a good ship to try https://www.carnival.com.au/fun-activities/redfrog-pub

+ Carnival. The reason they don't have more big ships here is because they will be half empty. It is also why Princess takes their ship around the world instead of trying to fill winter itineraries in Australia. As with Ovation departing our shores today, most of the ships return to the northern hemisphere where nice weather and the money is.