arxcards

First I have heard about hitting a container. A container would cause external damage, yet there is no drydock in Newcastle nor any port safety restrictions relating to divers at the berth where she is being repaired. Royal themselves have called it a "technical issue" and it relates to the loss of steering control of one of the azipods.

Which ship? A coin toss for me to. Looking ahead though, Royal Princess will be here for her 2nd and final season, while Crown will be based here year-round for the foreseeable future. If you want to try Royal Princess locally, next season will be it. Food - better than Carnival & NCL. Comparable food options to HAL, although we found HAL's dining rooms are a bit more relaxed. Plenty of variety with Princess menus.

Unlikely this decade. It isn't just about Carnival cruises. Carnival Corp is reluctant to place a ship in an port that will drain numbers away from sister brand P&O. At this stage, they have plenty of availability on all three P&O ships through this winter, so they aren't about to add more competition. Royal & NCL brands see better profits in the Northern hemisphere, so those ships will continue to follow the sun. Carnival has been looking to base a year round ship in Brisbane. Prior to the covid shutdown, that was scheduled to happen with Carnival Spirit, but the passenger numbers just aren't there now. Each year, Carnival makes advanced port bookings in the QLD ports for Luminosa, but so far their projections don't meet beancounter expectations and they are still returning the ship to Alaska each year.

Yeah, not easy. An oxymoron.

Similar itinerary & date, ex-Auckland, lots of availability, P&O Pacific Explorer. https://www.pocruises.com.au/cruises/pacific-island-hopper/x430

It was similar last winter. Only 2 ships out of Sydney over winter and while still 3 months, it has been selling for 2 years and it is in school holidays. There is a chance that some may change their mind when final payment is due in a few weeks time, so keep a daily eye on it if you are looking to book.

My dad used to pull a prank whenever there was a crowd around (sg, Royal Easter Show). He would look up at the sky and point and try to convince me of something up high. Others would start looking up, and pointing and you would hear others saying they could see it. My dad would walk away saying - nothing to see here. Same would likely apply to Brilliance. They had already inspected & assessed the malfunction on the shortened cruise and made a plan to get parts & expertise to Newcastle to fix. You would have to expect they have diagnosed it correctly, or they would have already departed for Singapore. Just to note, pointing over the side of the ship and suggesting there may be dolphins 🐬 can also be a fun pastime.

Well, yes. It is a steering problem from one of the two pods, not a rudder. If I were a rumour monger, I would have circulated the rumour. Thought I better ask, as you might be able make said rumours more credible.

It was on their site a couple of hours ago too. Just a rumour or two starting to circle. The last time I looked out the window she was still in Newcastle.

Have you confirmed that with Big Gav yet?

Yes, you can do anything with an incomplete data set or one tainted by agenda or opinion. However, pure numbers are a work of art.

In a workplace of 4000 people?

No, Muloobinba floating dock was towed away in late 2012. As Brilliance is booked at Channel Berth for a week, I can only presume that she doesn't need a drydock to complete repairs. I would also figure she is a bit too big for drydock facilities (if they still exist) in Sydney & Brisbane and would be heading for Singapore if she needed a drydock.

4th April is still planned to run to schedule. She is scheduled to be at Channel Berth in Newcastle for a week. Won't be cheap with all those Easter penalty rates. I think I might spend some time in Newcastle on Wednesday arvo, watching Coral Princess depart and Brilliance of the Seas arrive. While they won't pass in the harbour, it would be nice to get a vantage point to see them cross paths somewhere off Nobbys.

A ship of 5000 passengers is more fuel/emission efficient than 2 ships of 2500, which in turn is more efficient than 5 ships of 1000 passengers. Alternately, we could all jump into 2000 separate cars and drive to QLD for a holiday on the beach, staying in hotels that draw their electricity from a coal fired power station. Per person, cruising presently stacks up as well as anything for the consumption of energy. But that is shifting, and quite correct that shipping also needs to improve fuel efficiency and emissions. That is already being mandated, albeit initially by cruising at slower speeds for older ships that find it hard to evolve. And yes, NSW emission standards are 20 years out of date. So is our mentality of using a suburban tank to run around town and do the shopping.

Play the numbers. In November 2022, there were 22% of the passengers/crew infected on a single cruise. That has happened nowhere on land, not even close. It is what it is, but outbreaks like that were newsworthy. BTW, covid /gastro outbreaks on cruises have hardly been newsworthy anywhere in the world over the past year either.

To the final question, no it isn't. Unless something has changed, you may be lucky to score a bargain. The $US pricing requires an `18% gratuity to be charged at the restaurant, while the $AU pricing is inclusive. That accounts for much of the discrepancy, although I seem to recall Bayou/Crown Grill could be over $AU60 following a recent price rise. Yes, that is the US pricing as the ship currently operates in $US, but AU itineraries are ordering in $AU. The app isn't clever enough to have dual currency pricing. From the same experience as Coral & Majestic prior to arrival, if you order them now you will pay $39 or $35 Australian. Only when the ship arrives will the app start to display the correct $AU pricing. The same also applies to Diamond Princess next season. It is possible Princess will find a way to square their ledgers, but not the last time I checked. I can currently order Grill on Diamond Princess for $AU39pp The same happened prior to Grand & Majestic arriving in late 2022 Specialty Dining Cost Princess Australia - Australia & New Zealand Cruisers - Cruise Critic Community

Sad to hear. I hope they can get it fixed quickly so that it doesn't roll on to more cruises.

What is the news Phil? Brilliance will return to Sydney on Tuesday night, dock at OPT after Coral Princess departs to disembark passengers, then depart for Newcastle in the wee hours. I have been hearing rumours of drydock repairs in Singapore, but I can't see anything booked beyond Newcastle. For the repairs to be completed in Newcastle, they won't be needing a drydock and just need the timely arrival of techo's and or parts to have her back in Sydney on 4th April for the following cruise.

The T&C's you have shown were up on the website over a year ago, and they were wrong and confusing then. Nothing has changed since they were put on Princess.com early last year. The weasel clause was in place way back then too, and used to justify why you could no longer dine at Alfredo's as complimentary , and that they had the right to charge an Ocean Now fee to anyone not having the relevant package.

We also have some disappointed friends aboard. Sad, as they went back for 2nds this season as they loved the ship and wanted to get another lap before she departed Oz.

Via the app, yes. Via the phone, I think yes but can't be sure as I didn't test it.

Your door card for breakfast doesn't incur a charge, true. Phone and app orders to cabins (including suites) incurs a $7.50 per order charge, unless you use your OBC to activate Ocean Now delivery for one of you.

It always was an auction, but it was meant to work as a silent auction.

I think you are going off half cocked and there is a miscommunication over a set of T&C that hasn't updated. We have cruised on an old ($85) premier package. The cap for drink prices was $30, as is the case for the current $95 package. We didn't get priority seating, fitness classes, Alfredo's, Ocean now delivery, fat desserts in our $85 fare. However, we did get $25 OBC and drinks up to $30. Your recent email says nothing about changes to drink price caps. Your wine menu shows Plus by-the-glass inclusions. They have one menu, not an old plus menu & a new plus menu. There is no weasel clause in action, apart from Ocean Now & Prix Fixe charges being imposed to something that was free at the time of booking, as they did a year ago. You are just allowing the inconsistencies of Princess documentation to play on your insecurities. I can assure you that you can drink shitty glasses of wine to the value of $22 on your old plus package.