arxcards

There is no change for Eden. P&O hasn't been calling in Eden, nor has Carnival. Perhaps the good news for Eden is that Norwegian has added several visits there over the next couple of seasons. Hobart still gets around 20 visits per month in summer, and this weeks announcement doesn't include any Hobart cancellations, although Royal should still visit more often.

We have had a few, mostly at breakfast. We have never asked, but plenty of T/As have told us they were much better than whoever we were using.

For the bigger picture, I don't know what it means yet. They have just announced the end of P&O Australia, and the end of Pacific Explorer's place in the fleet. Carnival have said there will be more news about their future in Australia, so there will be lots of speculation until that happens. That includes the future of Fremantle, Melbourne, Auckland & Cairns. I doubt that CCL would abandon the money generated from those ports. Perhaps the author is unaware of this board for linking?

Melatonin is available over the counter here, so won't be an issue. Your most stringent checkpoint will be when you arrive into Sydney airport. Australian government guidelines: https://www.abf.gov.au/entering-and-leaving-australia/can-you-bring-it-in/overview

Even though it was announced just this week, this was all scheduled months ago. The only reason they would alter plans is if they got it wrong the first time.

Drydocks are scheduled for routine maintenance & repairs below the waterline. Hotel mods are done at the same time to make the most of their out of service time. Given the nearest active drydock for ships this size is 6 days away in Singapore, and their current service schedule, it is more likely they will be just laid up at a convenient industrial dock in Australia. Last drydock for Adventure was April 2024. Encounter in February 2023, with next drydock scheduled for February 2026. Cabins won't change much. The public areas certainly will, as well as needing a Carnival paint job above the waterline and a rebranded funnel. Two weeks should be sufficient.

Decision made last August, with everything being pieced together till the announcement this week? P&O have been without a CEO since then. CW breaking news – Carnival Australia chief Marguerite Fitzgerald resigns | (cruiseweekly.com.au)

Flying all that distance, I am more concerned about quantity than quality. If flying to the Caribbean, there would be a week on land combined with at least two cruises. Yes, I would probably like free laundry & minibar, but I would be more inclined to pick the best itinerary. Someone else might fly all that way just to add a different pin to their vest.

Yes, that is in the plans. It fits perfectly. Last embark would still have us over at White Bay too early. We also have the benefit of being able to drop or swap bags in Newcastle the day before.

I know I have said previously we would never book P&O again. My greatest criticism is that they have become groundhog day cruises, with menus and amenities that have barely changed since the current format was introduced in 2015. The new $10 charge for eggs benny was the last straw. But I am about to book our 14th P&O cruise on our 8th P&O ship. Forever will be a long time. This week's news might give some context to why P&O haven't been evolving. They have been treading water since 2017, stagnating as if they knew they had no future. We arrive into Sydney on Diamond Princess on 21st Feb, so a bit of brunch followed by a cab over to White Bay to spend the following weekend on Pacific Adventure. I am even planning to spend a couple of hundred more on a Byron mini so that we can get free eggs benny. 😉

As they are the middle-man for your booking, the extra time is to make sure your payment has cleared their systems in time to be paid onto the cruise line. Some of the larger places like to do their cruise remittances in weekly batches so they aren't spending their days working like an ATM. Good T/A's will refund as quick as the cruise line, also considering the payment has to get to them first. Some do have onerous terms, cancellation fees, slow response times - I won't book through those agencies.

I am happy to have a trusted TA who is an expert at booking cruises. In most cases it is cheaper than booking direct and/or comes with additional OBC. I am happy to concentrate on my part of the deal - spending the money.

Thought you might like this. I think this was the day Adventure arrived in Sydney for the first time.

Indeed, and for other Grand class ships that may be surplus to Princess in the near future. These ships are already north of 20 years old, and I would be surprised if the Carnival "beards" see any place for them in the US. The original Jubilee spent plenty of years down here as Pacific Sun. We would consider trading Encounter for the new Jubilee.😁

Even a 6:30pm departure from OPT should not delay the ship into Melbourne. The transfers in Sydney usually accommodate earlier flights, in Brisbane they don't. I have only used tram/skybus in Melbourne, so can't help with the timing of their transfers. When we have booked transfers on Princess, we do it aboard at guest services. If it fits book it, if not go with your initial plan of a taxi.

How is the mood on the ship? Cruising as usual?

Most of the interest is for a couple of their smaller ports that can't take the newer & bigger ships - sort of like it used to be at Portside in Brisbane.

There will be lots of like for like. Not just as it was for P&O, but also how the ship was used for Princess. I believe Serenity will be the tiered aft decks on 12 & 14, where P&O has their Oasis. I think Byron will be linked to Carnival's spa cabins.

They will not have anyone available to read, moderate and respond, so it makes sense. All hands on deck to take care of cancellations and to prepare for a handover and winding up of the office roles. You can try direct messaging, but a reply will depend on how important they view your message. This is on their DM screen: Thank you for contacting us. We are receiving a high volume of enquiries during this time & are doing our best to respond as quickly as we can.

Most provisions will still be sourced via their offices in North Sydney, as is currently the case on Splendor. Like P&O, they will still have soft drink from the Philippines, and plenty of cereals and the like from Asia. Fresh food ingredients will still be sourced locally, as well as wines, beers, etc. I have found on Princess, Carnival & HAL that ships recently arrived from the US initially have US supplied longlife products, but they gradually move over to an Australian equivalent when their pantry runs dry. As an example, we used to go hunting for Smuckers grape jelly sachets for our daughter at breakfast time. Supplies are often exhausted late in the season and replaced with an Aussie jam. There are exceptions such as ketchup instead of tomato sauce, but in most cases it would be more expensive to be provisioning their ship via Miami. But yes, if not to start with, Carnival will become more American, but I already appreciate that on Princess, HAL & Royal.

Yes, I am sure they will have something for Encounter & Adventure, as well as Pacific Explorer departing Fremantle. Then they have much fanfare again a couple of weeks later when Encounter & Adventure get a red stripe.

For me, it was an award condition rolled into an enterprise. The enterprise predates me, and I have been at the same establishment for 31 years. Certainly can't be described as public service or heavily unionised though. I am aware that many do miss out, but other sectors have had all of their entitlements rolled into a fixed salary at some stage in the past.

Fancy getting paid extra to go on holidays. How awesome. 😂

This is a key feature of accessing the 2nd terminal at White Bay. The main terminal in Circular Quay is 100% booked each summer, with several lines competing for a berth. As Golden Princess, this picture was not possible. The height of the exhaust and cowl was reduced when converted to Pacific Adventure. The 160 feet is also conditional, as there is a safety margin and a tidal factor. This will be the only Carnival ship currently based in Australia that can transit under the bridge. To take this ship out of Sydney would cause chaos for all of the Carnival brands fighting over the main terminal - won't happen. Perhaps you can rebrand Pacific Explorer with a red stripe, as she can fit in any of the three height restricted ports without modification. 😉

Dora will be already up for sale. Even if she has a buyer, they won't announce anything, and it is usually up to the buyer to spruik that If she doesn't have an afterlife at the time she departs, she will be heading to Aliaga for recycling. Her younger sister, the former Oceana, has been up for sale for some time with no takers, and Carnival is not about to lay her up to await a buyer. Have a look at NCL for Melbourne. I do think that in time Carnival will do short seasons in Melbourne. Unlikely for 2025/6, but very possible beyond that.