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Everything posted by lissie
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Its 11C in Wellington this morning! I'm glad I'm not paying for the experience! I agree have zero interest in local cruising. I will sometimes travel locally - but if I want a gettaway I just book a nice hotel and restaraunt. I read this thread as we have a provisional (ie incredibly low deposit) booking on a HAL trip ex Boston which goes to the Maritimes, Greenland, Iceland - 21 ports in 25 days. It doesn't really matter what the ship is like so long as it doesn't sink and provides a bed breakfast and dinner! The alternative cruise lines for this itinerary are Ponant, Viking, Regent - a LOT more expensive (and the HAL is not particularly cheap)
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Flying into Australia - Bringing Medication
lissie replied to 2018cruisefun's topic in Australia & New Zealand
Iwasn't making a general statement I was talking about entering Australia - that's the discussion here . Australians aren't going to deport you for bring in perscription meds. Try to smuggle food in - that's a whole different story -
Auckland for a full day - best sights to see?
lissie replied to Thunderbird19's topic in Australia & New Zealand
Just note there have been long lines for the Waiheke Island ferry on recent days in Akjl with cruise ships in. They are suffering from staff shortages . I'd hire a car myself - downtown Auckland isn't that exciting - I'd consider a drive south to maybe Raglan - you can then easily drop the car at the airport and you avoid any traffic issues coming from the south. -
Flying into Australia - Bringing Medication
lissie replied to 2018cruisefun's topic in Australia & New Zealand
Australian border force will clear you on the ship the day before you get to Hobart - not sure if you need to fill the same form - I don't remember doing so but it was a few years ago. -
Flying into Australia - Bringing Medication
lissie replied to 2018cruisefun's topic in Australia & New Zealand
Everyone reads it like that including the officials at the airport - otherwise 80% of people would go through the "something to declare" lane - while in reality its a pretty low % that do that . -
Flying into Australia - Bringing Medication
lissie replied to 2018cruisefun's topic in Australia & New Zealand
I was just going to say - I am very sure there is no requirement to declare normal perscriptions - my partner has a tonne of them - and we flew thru recently. -
Yes there is - but not for Americans Subclass 651 eVisitor (homeaffairs.gov.au) - which seems fair as Australians have to pay to visit the USA
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First-time cruiser! A few questions (mostly re: gratuities, etc).
lissie replied to Starstruckharper's topic in Cunard Line
We this was 2 long cruises this year on the QE - the card invovled was a pre-pay Wise Visa (and Mastercard - my partner has an older card before they switched providers for some reason). So I do think its the card rather than the bank -
You're not bad. Covid was rife on our 34 day Cunard cruise in July/August . We'd had Omicron in early May (plus 1 booster) and know for a fact we were multiple exposures to people who came down with it. Everyone who got Covid I asked them if it was there first time - it was - they had all been vaccinated and boosted but it didn't stop them getting it.
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First-time cruiser! A few questions (mostly re: gratuities, etc).
lissie replied to Starstruckharper's topic in Cunard Line
Except they don't - we used a Visa debit card expecting exactly this. What acutally happened over one cruise of 34 days and one of 20 days - Cunard charged a $1 to the card a few days before we cruised - that was refunded. Every day or 2 they would make a pending/hold charge against my card for our current balance. At the end of each sector - they confirmed the current balance charge and pending went to spent. At no time did their hold on our card exceed the amount we owed them - plus or minus a few dollars -
Because I dont want either soup or pasta for lunch! I want a bit of salad, maybe some sushi, some cheese and ham and a bread roll - Iwant to graze . And if I did want soup or pasta why would I not just go to the buffet and get them - faster, quicker, get to get the portion size I want
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Because sitting down for a formal lunch AND dinner is a bit much?
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I don't do paper. I use a combination of Tripit - which monitors my inbox and automatically builds itineraries from reservations which arrive in it, and Evernote for everything else - receipts for payments, interesting websites for travel locations, due dates, budgets. I also don't sweat the small stuff - we did 6 weeks this year between 2 cruises. Only ever booked accommodation and transport a day or 2 in advance as we decided where we were going - I'd done all th research, but didn't book until last minute
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I don't think so. Its certainly not on Cunard so I'm pretty not on HAL either both being Carnival
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Pre-paying Gratuities- the A$ rate is wrong?
lissie replied to lissie's topic in Holland America Line
Because I haven't actually worked out flights to Boston or anything else yet, and only have a minimal deposit in play so far , so not doing anything not entirely refundable yet LOL -
This is weird. We booked from New Zealand, so the pricing is in Australian $ for the cruise and apparently for the gratuities if pre-paid via the website. So something is wrong here: 2 pax , non-suite room, 25 days that$16x2x25 = US$800 However, they want A$1040. According to today's exchange rate that is only US$704 -. Should I pay this immediately until they realise the exchange rate is way out of date? Not often I will on exchange rate fluctuations!
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Haha small world! We have Portland too - there is a LOT of ports - exciting
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Yeah we've already got Portland as the first stop on the cruise (Its a loop up and back to Iceland)
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We've recently booked a trip ex Boston 29 July on the Zaandam. They advertise a stop at Bar Harbor but I believe that port has recently banned ships bigger than 1000pax . Any talk of what the alternative port will be. Or as its our last day before returning to Boston do you think we will return a day earlier and spend the last night in Boston?
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Yup happened to people we knew on our cruise this year - they have a requirement to provide you access to fresh air
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It varies depending on where the ship is. I know QE was doing 5 days minimum and then test to release up until 10 days. But when she's sailing in NZ waters NZ requirements are 7 days minimum (that's on land so will apply to ships too) - not sure about Oz requirements They have specific quarantine cabins - if you are in an inside or oceanview you are moved to a balcony. I think they move balconies if they can ie they have the quarantine capacity - to make it easier for crew