arxcards

The check-in staff assemble at 10:30am, and are usually setup and ready by 10:45 - on a normal day. The Sydney sailings have been listed as first check-in at noon, as you have with yours. I presume they set it a bit later in case of any extra covid protocols to tend to. In past years it has been 11am, and you could usually get there a bit earlier to find check-in already open. Looks to be the same, as long as there are no issues with the ship.

I loved how they all seemed so professional, but when the genies bumped into each other or the concierge, all they did was whinge about their lieges. That said though, I would jump at any opportunity of having a star class genie again.

Hmm, not that I can recall. I think that just translates to - you replied to my email without a list of 20 things you want. I only had one wish, but he couldn't fulfil it anyway. It seems all the genies and concierges all send the same bloated email full of pasted info that is really hard to read. He wasn't particularly good as a pre-cruise communicator himself, but brilliant once we were on the ship. I would have to fire up an old computer to find his name, but he sort of reminded me of a young version of Law and Order actor Benjamin Bratt, if that narrows it down a bit.

Awesome way to burn your bacon too.

Oh yeah, I should have remembered. Ours were in our genie's coat pocket.

Cool, it has been a few years. Is that new for Royal, or started back before lockdown?

Yes, for a full suite, you will get seapasses at check-in and your Wow bands will be in your suite. Both the cards and wow bands work, so your choice which one you want to use.

I guess it depends on how much of the couple of hundred million has been spent to date. Yes, money talks in Vanuatu, but idle promises do not. Depends where they draw the line at large ships for Isle of Pines. OK for Majestic Princess and others a bit smaller to call there this summer. There is no ban AFAIK, but an issue with logistics of tendering xxx passengers a couple of km's. Royal has no scheduled visits there this coming season, so curious why their AU/NZ social media page recently posted a picture of IOP. Lifou does have a restriction. I am not aware of it being a size restriction, but they have capped the frequency of visits. Before the lockdown, there were times when they were getting 4 ships per week. Mare is currently out of action altogether for another couple of months, I believe due to damaged infrastructure.

There is no rumour. Vanuatu officially opens to cruising on 1st December, P&O has secured 2 x trial visits in November to assess how the protocols work. As mentioned Royal are currently discussing the requirements with Vanuatu officials, but I see it as highly unlikely that they will have a ship in before P&Os first call on 9th November, P&O has decades of goodwill there, assisting to build tender wharves, offering disaster assistance following cyclones, and most importantly they employ Vanuatu crew on their ships. So where are you going? In lieu of Port Vila and Mystery Island, I think Isle of Pines and Lifou are a definite possibility. For now, Royal hasn't decided, and may be holding on to hope of gaining permission to call in Vila, so for now, it is still up in the air and open to negotiation.

Go to your Apple or Google Play store and search for Australian ETA, and follow the steps listed here - https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/electronic-travel-authority-601#HowTo

NSW used to have an expiry for some states' concession Opals as the NSW government didn't have access to some state records to determine if eligibility had changed. Pension card holders had no expiry, but senior card eligibility from some states did. I believe that is no longer the case, as they have a national register/cooperation between states.

I think Carnival has pretty much gone down the same line as P&O here, but Princess is pretty much as it was. There is one possible blip, and that is in the cruise terminals. If your port of call is handled through a terminal, the private X-ray staff will do the security screening, and may get their ships/policies muddled from time to time. Ship security will put them straight though.

This has evolved on what it used to be. I thought they were overstepping the mark in not returning your adaptor kit to you, as all I have read on the FAQs refers to surge protected boards. I was just sifting through my passage contract for 2 weeks time, for other reasons and found the following, which would suggest they can prohibit anything electrical if they want to on safety grounds. 22. Prohibited items To ensure a safe and enjoyable holiday for all Our guests, items which may pose a risk to the safety of guests and crew are not allowed to be brought onboard Our ships including: Irons, kettles, coffee machines, baby bottle warmers, candles, heating devices, illegal drugs, illicit substances, flammable liquids, weapons (including knives of any kind), hoverboards (Flyboards or similar devices), remote control devices of any kind, such as drones, and power boards with surge protection devices. In addition certain electrical items and personal grooming devices, such as power boards (without surge protection devices), laptops, phone and camera charges, hair dryers and straighteners, curling irons and shavers may be allowed onboard if they are deemed to be in a safe and proper working condition, and used with proper caution. However, if such devices are deemed to pose a hazard, they will be confiscated and available for collection at the end of the cruise.

I think you will be OK, unless the bubbles are funny bubbles. I can't find anything in their passage contract or FAQs that would prohibit it. I was surprised to see that kava was on the prohibited list, so just as well they don't make kava cola in Vanuatu any more.

Just to add, some pensioners (like my mum) would do anything to save $1, and wouldn't dare pay for a full fare. When they initially took the concession single trip tickets out of the machines, she decided to queue for 15 minutes to buy one at the CQ ticket window, where you could get one with the appropriate ID. I insisted on paying for an adult ticket out of the machine, but no, we missed a train instead. As soon as that option was no longer possible, she ordered a concession Opal that she sometimes uses once per year.

I have 3 x MYKI's with a bit of balance left on each. In the end, it is a lot cheaper than getting a tour, but it would be nicer if you could still just pay for individual tickets like the old days.

Yes. You will have one for each in your cabin, and replaced with new ones as you need. As with an earlier post, you will still need one with you to board the ship. These are the apparently inferior surgical mask type, so if you need added protection you might still need to pack your own.

For anyone interstate from NSW, you can also tap-on and off with your contactless credit/debit card. You each need your own card, but it saves all the stuffing around to get Opal for one ir two trips. The exclusion to that is it assumes adult fare, so more expensive to anyone who is travelling on a concession. Do any other states do this?

Yep, all set for Majestic too. Have a short one on Coral first, and looking forward to both. The Majestic one will be a real holiday.

Fiji tomorrow. We might get lucky.

On refection, it is a bit like seeing a couple of Mormons knocking on the gates at a Roman orgy.

Yeah, I guess, and I agree. My key point is get your first decent coffee for days when you buy your MYKI. 😁

If the boarding times are not yet available, it normally still loads and it shows 0 available groups to choose from. The current issue is that the page often stalls when loading, and doesn't make it to the boarding times. I have picked two boarding times over the past 6 weeks - both at 59 days (60 days on US time zone). The 20th November one mentioned above is also at 59 days.

I am a bit disappointed I couldn't line up one of these early cruises, as the deals were fantastic. One reason is that we already have two cruises in October. The 2nd one of these is a QLD coastal on Majestic, which has us in Brisbane on 29th October. When we depart that evening, guess what ship is scheduled to arrive into Brisbane for the first time? Looks like we will score a 1st close-up when we cross paths in Moreton Bay.