sayaguru

I'm finding the same for the Carnival one I'm on in Sept. No answers on the rollcall.

Yes. A local saw it happen and chased the guy. Got the chain back luckily but the guy got away. He doesn't wear it when travelling now. I just wear a silver ring and bring a few cheap costume necklaces.

They couldn't take the slashproof ones. They can't cut the straps or open them or get them of the chair. But I would still not have it on the back of the chair. So many scams.I read up on the scams when going to a new destination. Have seen a few in my travels. Hubby had his gold chain ripped from his neck. We don't wear good jewellery now. Lots of scammers targeting groups as they can blend in without people noticing.

The slashproof handbags are great. Just gives you that extra peace of mind. And you can clip them around your chair. Travelan or Pacsafe are good. Not stolen but had to tell funny story about hubby losing his jumper. Got on the ship after visiting Tauranga in New Zealand and noticed jumper was gone. We were returning on another cruise 3 months later. We went to the shop where we did the tour but no luck. It was his favourite jumper (sweater for US folk). We went to the Op shop ( thrift shop) for a look and there it was on the rack. LOL. Someone obviously found it and took it there. We told them the story and they gave it to us for half price. HAHA!

I just look up the tours the ship has then contact operators directly. Or google each port and see what's available. You can also book things on the day at some ports.

US sites don't include taxes so if you are quoting from a US site add $300+? Then convert it is $5,700AUD. $228 a night. Nothing startling. I have seen some cheap cruises in other countries though. Competition. There have been some great deals in Australia lately but limited itineraries of course.

Not sad. I cruised out of Brisbane last year. I now live on the Gold Coast (less than an hour from Brisbane) so no need to go. I'd rather relax onboard without the crowds.

Yep. It's not that big a deal. Just passing comment. Some people get upgrades all the time. No logic to how they give them out. Enjoy your cruise. Be careful it can get addictive. 😁

I would think the better option for business would be to reward loyal customers. What's the contradiction? No one said I was more special than anyone else. You are reading things that aren't there. If they were a first time cruiser I'm sure they'd be happy. Who wouldn't?

This is not correct. Passengers booking from an Australian site have the gratuities included. If booking from a US site gratuities are added to your account daily. You can of course change or remove the charges as you see fit. I did 4 cruises last year. 2 booked in Australia and 2 from a US site.

We got a double upgrade once. Our travel agent was very surprised. From Inside to Oceanview then a few months later to Balcony. Our only one. With the bidding now I'd think upgrades are not as common. Annoys me when first time cruisers get the upgrade. Heard of that a few times onboard.

Book an Uber. Cheaper. If you get 2 couples it works out a lot cheaper and you can book one when you are ready to go back. I booked an Uber when I disembarked last year. Hate this port. Doing a cruise from Sydney next year which stops here. I'm just staying onboard.

Agree with maxi taxi or 2 taxis. If you get the train it will be $17pp as you pay a premium to and from the airport. Better in the taxi when a group

It's cruises in Australia IF you book in Australia. People booking cruises in Australia from overseas still have the gratuities added. You of course still have the option to change or remove as normal. It's because Australia prefers WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) type buying. Overseas companies can be very confusing because prices quoted often don't include taxes and Govt charges.

Why are people saying declare everything you put in your mouth? Sure years ago the form said do you have any food. But now it specifically asks if you have certain foods. NOT all food. Declare if you have the foods listed. NOT every food item. Otherwise you are just creating long queues while they ask you what you have. Many people carry lozenges, gum. Imagine if EVERYONE put that they had food because of that. It would be chaos.

I agree you may not want that. But for me (and others I know who will choose Sydney over Brisbane) I have family and friends in Sydney. So I'm flying there anyway. I will do a cruise out of Sydney to coincide with that. I'm on the Gold Coast and if you don't want to drive or pay expensive shuttle it's a pain to get to the Brisbane terminal.

No but what about the other 2,000+ people getting off. They need to get off and a shuttle would be amazing. If they ran a shuttle to the station all day people get off- get the shuttle to the station. People getting on get the shuttle from there to the ship. Some cruise companies have actually done this. Not Princess.

Really? Try many hundreds. I disembarked last month. The lines at the taxi rank and waiting for Ubers was massive. That was the only way (other than ship transfer) to get to a train station. Not everyone has someone to pick them up. People are off in a few hours. 7-9 and everyone is off.

Actually some people are there to sightsee. People that have Brisbane as a port. I embarked and disembarked there last year. It's a disgrace. And the design is also ridiculous. You check in and walk a kilometre to get on the ship. Because of this there were MANY people sitting waiting for wheelchairs. They couldn't cope. We are going there on a cruise and we will just stay on board. There are no public busses. Only option is a $32 Uber or $40 taxi to the train station.

I was on her last month. Coral in November. Grand is Princesses oldest ship. It has been updated but still looks a bit tired. Rooms lacked storage compared to the newer ships. I found the buffet quite small compared to Coral. Not as much choice. MDR menus are all the same. Food was good. Service was good. I don't really like the layout of Grand. And for some reason they only used the Vista lounge for bingo and a guest speaker. Trivia is very crowded in the Explorers lounge. And why they have zumba on the pool deck is beyond me. Rainy windy. There are inside places. Entertainment staff I liked much better on Coral.

No worse than NZ. I've had more rough seas on NZ cruises. Last one was horrendous (last month). Some Hawaii ones go via NZ. We had calm seas. It's unpredictable. No one can tell you what it's going to be like. .

Good to know. Thanks. I'd rather pay US$ than cruise with P&O. Just do the conversion. It's not any cheaper because they charge in AUD$. They just change the bar menus. Tempted? You think you'll spend more becuase you think it's cheaper? How do you cope going overseas?

This is a NZ requirement. We did it on Grand too. But we were instructed to put it in the bin if negative and alert staff if positive. I don't know if anyone checked, which is pretty poor, I think. I think you should have had to show it.

What does - In Princess Live, mean? I was on Coral and Grand recently. I haven't heard of that. They both have large lounges. Coral had trivia there.

What do you mean- NOW? That was last week. What ship are you referring to? What makes you say this is now a Princess change?