arxcards

They would have been told the result of the inspection ASAP, but it was up to them to schedule a time and place where the cleaning could be done, and to avoid restricted areas until they could. I would presume it has all died down because the round of inspections has been done for the season - excepting any world cruise ships headed this way. The pause definitely contributed to the growth of sealife on the hulls. Hopefully that means everyone has a clean butt next season.

All the ships have cleared the weather, but Carnival Splendor could have an interesting week ahead. They should make it Noumea OK, and they might just get lucky enough to change Noumea - Mystery - Noumea to an overnight in Noumea followed by Mystery Island - maybe.

Seems to be where they are headed, although BYO destination on the AIS is a bit strange.

This is the official guidelines. https://www.tga.gov.au/entering-australia Yes, you are very unlikely to have to show medications, but if something looks suspicious on a scan they may want to inspect. Also there is a risk that pain killing opioids can trigger some interest from a sniffer dog. We travel with Endone (oxycodone) in case my wife's medical issue flares up while travelling. We would be mad to ignore this advice, so we keep in original packaging and have a letter to support this. Not only for return into Australia, but codeine based medications are restricted for entry into the US. We have never had to show them, but would be a hassle if that ever happened without the required evidence.

Oops

I had caught a Cunard add that featured a bit of this yesterday, but the clip is better than expected. Nicely done. I think there is a 2024/5 season launch just around the corner.

Good Luck.

There are certified inspectors in Australia, and likely around the world as well. It is expected that a ship will have certification before entering NZ waters. As an example: https://commercialdiving.com.au/new-zealand-ship-mpi-inspections/ Yes, I would suggest we don't have the same strict rules for our ports, as is also the case for most ports around the world.

Story of my life. While both of us work and with very different schedules and employers, we have to lock our dates for anything more than a week way in advance. If an opportunity comes up, we will jump on something more last minute, but they are usually short breaks. When cruising has settled, there will still be last minute deals, but not as generous as the ones this season, and usually for the ones nobody wants to do. When it is more normal, the reluctant ones will come back. Itineraries will always change, but usually at the last minute anyway.

Hello!! While it is a bit quiet, there is a roll call of fellow cruisers for your trip. Drop in and post there.

I just noticed that the 24/25 season is online for Luminosa. Maybe it has been there a while and I hadn't noticed. No super specials like those running for this season, but $120 per night/person isn't too bad for a starting price for something two years away. 24th November 2024 cruise to PNG has a big plus included - 2 stops at Conflict Islands

I think they all saw it coming. Pacific Encounter was supposed to be in Vila today but modified their itinerary a couple of days ago. Lifou today, and then bound for Sydney this afternoon.

Weather is going to be a shocker to the east of New Caledonia for the next couple of days. The pic is the wave forecast for tomorrow morning. They are not taking any chances.

I had a live thread for it here too, but I reckon his was likely more interesting.

From 10th October, a nice sunny day.

$15 shuttle into town is a rip-off. Other cruise lines have been providing this as a free service, in conjunction with the port. If you are somewhat mobile, it is not a long walk, but there is a hill to negotiate on the way up into town. There are a few nice vantage points over the port as you make your way up. At the top, there is a whale museum and a short walk from there into the main street. There is not a lot of shops, but that depends on what you are looking for. There are some nice cafe's and we spent a fair bit of time in a shop that had all sorts of stones and charms. I think some tours are available inside the welcome centre next to the dock, but I didn't pay close attention. There are also some market stalls. I hope the weather is kind to you, as Eden is a lovely town when the sun is shining. Eden Welcome Centre | Port Authority New South Wales (portauthoritynsw.com.au)

The ships require a routine inspection, and these are usually done without much fuss while the ship is in port. If the inspection gets a tick, they have permission to cruise NZ without restriction. Some of our summer fleet had nice clean and slippery hulls from drydocking prior to returning to service. Some did not, and there are even a few that had scheduled drydocks delayed because of the pause.

With Carnival being very American and the cruise ending in the land of stars & stripes, the transpacific is treated as an American sailing. As Bob posted, daily grats added and onboard currency for this cruise is $US. Also the 18% grats added to bars and specialty meals. The US bar prices plus grats usually squares-off pretty well with the flat $AU prices we pay. Not a deal breaker, but those daily grats add a fair bit to the otherwise bargain price.

Yeah, looks like rockmelon to me.

Looks very tasty.

For all your days of cruising over the past 6 months, you must be immune to have not caught it by now. Good luck, take care.

Cutting the rug - with zimmer frames on the dance floor. 😂

Plus daily gratuities

Usually a B2B merges into one cruise on the app, but it seems unusual that the 2nd one is visible instead of the first.

Doesn't look good.