Aussieflyer

It's certainly good to know if ever needed. Thanks for sharing.

Interesting find Sparky - I had a quick look at their website - as a private business it looks like non-QLD residents may be able to use their services as well.

If they had eaten in the MDR I can understand. People are different, we never really eat anything late at night after dinner so we didn't have a problem. We might have a drink though 😁.

I guess it might depend on who is doing the actual check in whether they decide they want to sight your insurance cover.

The price for insurance Bazzaw looks about par for the course - it is our age that makes it soooo much more expensive than under 70 and it just gets worse the older you are. Recent South Pacific 9 day cruise was around $300 for me (70) with no declared pre-existings. Son was about half of that (he is in his 40s). But we want to travel so we pays our money.

When boarding Splendor the other week we had to show our insurance certificates along with COVID vax and passports - they only asked about a neg RAT but didn't ask to see it. As others have said, I would contact your insurer to request a cover letter/email.

I have added some thoughts about the good and not so good in this thread as it is a bit OT here:

I am just off Splendor and as they say 'a day at sea beats a day at work' and whilst I did enjoy the cruise there were things I wasn't so keen on. Everyone's view is subjective but here are my (random) thoughts. The good? Foodwise: On the whole the buffet food was very good I thought. I don't usually frequent the buffet but it was better than the main restaurant. The additional Masala Tiger curries and the Pizzeria were both excellent. Guy's Burgers looked great but I didn't get a chance to try them as there was often a long queue. There was usually a table to be found in the buffet at dinner (though didn't try at lunch or breakfast). The Deli was great too and if you went early or later, there was not a long queue. Seafood shack hot platter for 2 was very tasty and very filling ($20 and well worth it). Chef's Table was very good but of course $140 per head. One dish (steak) was quite tough though. Long Lunch at Sea (Fahrenheit 555) was quite good as well ($45 per head). Alchemy Bar was by far the best in terms of skill of bar staff but their drinks were more expensive that others. It is on a par with the good bars on other lines. Soft drinks were well priced - only $2.95 for coke etc. Other: Lots of live music around the place which is great. The films on the big screen were 2022 and 2023 releases so very new. The App seemed to work well for booking in for meals and gave the estimated wait times (busy dinner could be up to 110 mins). You couldn't request a time though. Getting people on and off the ship was pretty well organised - lots of shuttle buses available in Noumea so hardly any waiting. Water shuttles in Lifou and Mystery Island but we went outside peak time. I had an inside cabin - fine for one but wouldn't want any more in there as it would be very squeezy. Bathroom small but good shower and hot water. The ship was in pretty good condition - some of the chairs seemed to have lost their springs and padding but overall nothing to complain about at all. Lots of cleaning going on all the time - tables wiped quickly, floors mopped etc. The not so good? Foodwise: Meals in the main restaurant were not great - edible but nothing 'wow'. Red meat was tough, seafood a bit dry and my son had pasta which he said was 'ok'. Service was a bit hit and miss in the main restaurant as well - sometimes rushed and other meals we seemed to be in black hole. Nowhere to have coffee in a 'proper' cup around the ship - the coffee outlets only had paper cups. No little snacks from the coffee shops (free) like on say Princess or Celebrity. You could buy donuts or cupcakes for $6.50 though. Other: The bed was the lumpiest I have ever had at sea and quite uncomfortable. Cabins are only serviced once a day (which is fine but having turn down is nice and a little extra to look forward to on other lines). Towels are quite small - certainly not big and fluffy. Photos were a big thing and there were lots of photographers set up every evening - taking away seating areas to set up their gear - but it must have been worth it for them as there seemed to be lots of people having photos taken. Meal orders were taken for all courses at once - on other lines it is usually entree and mains then the waiter comes back for the dessert menu/coffee etc. No table cloths in the main restaurants at all and if you wanted a printed menu you had to request it, other wise it was expected you would use the QR code on the table. It was school holidays and as expected the ship was packed - quite hard to find a spot to sit at times (especially one day when it was cool and there was some rain). I wasn't really prepared for the big extended family groups though. It is just me but I am not a fan of the theme nights and dress ups - and this was big on this cruise - Grinchmas in July, White Night, 80's, super heroes etc. I wondered why people seemed to have such big suitcases for a short 9 day cruise - well now I know - it is all their costumes!

I disembarked today from Splendour - it certainly was an experience! Unfortunately I forgot it was school holidays and the ship was full, including lots of large family groups (mum and dad, the kids, grandparents and cousins etc). I was quite interested in the pax demographics - there seemed to be 4 distinct groups a) younger people travelling with friends b) young families (with very young children - toddlers and the like) c) families with older or teenage children and d) much older (as in elderly) couples. Also a lot of first time cruisers There were some things I really liked but there were aspects that showed this is a 'budget' line in many ways. And as mentioned upthread, the decor is a sight to behold!

I always find (apparently this is borne out by research) jet lag is worse going from West to East and not so noticeable the other way - so it would mean the trip home to the US is worse than the flight to AU.

We tend to stay at an Accor (Sofitel Wentworth) or IHG property (Intercontinental) at CQ - both are easy to get to and then an easy walk across to the OPT as it is all downhill. Have also stayed at the Four Seasons and the location is great though rooms are a bit of an odd shape.

If you do book to come 'down under' crewsgirl, let us know and we can inundate with suggestions for things to do and see 😁

Not the whole hog then? 😂 Actually I wouldn't bother at all as we don't do any dress up for themes etc. I don't waste packing space.

Go for the wheels - so much easier when you are my age! 😂 Ours are indestructible Pacsafe (2 solid inset wheels) - a bit heavy so I thought I would get a newer one which was lighter but they don't make them anymore. I don't like the flimsy spinner wheels as if we ever do check in luggage, that is the part which is most likely to be broken.

though does your carry on have wheels - the ones we use do plus usually a smaller bag to carry.

We travel carry on as much as we can, both domestic and international. Even if we do check the luggage in, it is a carryon on size piece of luggage each.The limit for carryon international for QF depends on the class of travel (and I expect this to be the same for other international airlines as well). https://www.qantas.com/au/en/travel-info/baggage/carry-on-baggage.html. There is a max of 2 bags plus a handbag, jacket etc (and depending on the airport, this can be sometimes enforced) Jetstar is the low cost airline and it is 7kg for carryon - and they do weigh it, including your jacket, handbag and anything else you are carrying on board. One issue with carry on is the LAGs - which have to go in a plastic bag through security - and that nothing sharp allowed. When we travel we use laundry facilities - for a 2 week cruise either on board if there is a laundry or send it out. Underwear we do in the bathroom usually (would hate to scare the staff with my "smalls".) For NZ, I usually take 2 pr trousers/pants, a couple of jumpers/sweaters/cardigans, 2 thermals (long sleeve), 3 t shirts/casual tops, 3 dressy tops, evening trousers (for formal nights), 2 or 3 shawls, 1 pr heels, sandals, joggers, bathers, night attire, underwear - 7 knickers etc, small first aid kit - no scissors, chargers for electronics. I rarely wear dresses or skirts so don't pack them. Makeup etc goes in my handbag. As I don't take any medication, I don't need to worry about packing a supply. Can easily fit it under 10kg. I wear another pair of trousers, shirt, cardigan, jacket (for NZ this would be gortex) and the joggers as shoes seem to take up a lot of room. When we last cruised NZ in late December pre COVID, it was lovely and hot in Auckland but got steadily colder as we went south - we did need the thermals and wind proof jackets. It did not warm up until we were at Burnie a day or two before disembarking. If you look at a map, the South Island is quite a distance south and a lot cooler than most of Australia. Auckland though is about the same latitude as Sydney.

Forgot other states are different - so might be OK then.🙂

That cruise is in the middle of the school holidays so you might want a back up cruise just in case. I am on a Carnival cruise during the previous week and expecting it to be full. Also cruises last year, especially when just restarting, never were at full capacity and did have a few late cancellations. Not sure that is the case now.

Looks a bit like one of the locks for love - though hopefully that craze won't take off here. He certainly is a happy looking fellow.

Cradle Mountain is lovely though a long day trip though worth it if it is the only opportunity to visit assuming the weather is good. We have only even driven in the area and been staying there so can't comment on it as as an excursion.

... and a favourite of dentists due to the tendency to dislodge old fillings 😂

A one way itinerary to cruise NZ is the way to go if you have limited time in my opinion. I haven't cruised on HAL but if you like the line, there should be no issues as you know what the ships are like (though be aware, cruise lines tend to send their older ships down here much of the time). The 2 HAL cruises for March 2024 both have things going for them and I would be happy with either. The Sydney to Auckland on 9 March has the advantage of Kaikoura which is well known for whale watching, though I don't know much about Timaru. Burnie in Tasmania would need an excursion as there is not a lot in the town itself to fill a full day, having visited twice on ships and several times when in the area for land trips. The reverse leaving Auckland on 23 March does visit Hobart which is better but then misses the whale watching at Kaikoura and doesn't seem to go into Milford Sound. They both do the other main ports and Fiordland though last time we were there in a late December, we couldn't go into the sounds at all because it was too rough. HAL are certainly giving more ports than the Celebrity ones and would be preferable I think. The best of the Princess one would be the 2 March one from Auckland to Sydney but that might be a bit early for you - this is a one way cruise which cuts out 2 wasted sea days crossing the Tasman Sea.

OK - thanks for coming back with some more detail crewsgirl. It does depend on what you are after. Here are a few websites of cruise lines for March 2024 - maybe have a look and come back with questions about any particular cruises that look interesting to you. Princess - https://www.princess.com/cruise-search/results/?resType=C Celebrity - https://www.celebritycruises.com/au/itinerary-search?destinations=AUSTL&sailStartDate=2024-03-01&sailEndDate=2024-03-31&dateToggle=M HAL - https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/find-a-cruise.html#soldOut=false&group.sort=&sort=departDate asc,price_AUD_anonymous asc&{!tag=destinationTag}destinationIds=P&{!tag=departTag}departDate=2024-03-01T00:00:00Z&{!tag=durationTag}duration=&{!tag=embarkTag}embarkPortCode=&{!tag=portsTag}portsOfCall=&{!tag=shipsTag}shipId=&{!tag=regionTag}regions=&{!tag=cruisetypeTag}cruiseType=&start=0

Hi crewsgirl - well, how long is a piece of string, as they say. There are many different places in Australia and NZ - all worth visiting in their own right. A couple of things might help us - for example: How long are you intending to visit for? Are you open to travelling (flying) to other parts of Australia/NZ before or after a cruise? Do you intend to take ship shore excursions or do things on your own mostly? What sort of 'nature' do you love - bushwalking, seeing animals etc? Australia and New Zealand being 2 separate countries have different things to see/experience. Quite a few of the signature sights are not along the coast and in Au in particular would need a land trip to really appreciate. If you are looking to cruise to NZ from Australia, most itineraries are around the 12 - 14 day mark to include both North and South Island (which are quite different). March 2024 is not that far away and so you would need to get the planning underway pretty quickly. For what it's worth - we like Silversea for NZ cruises - the small ships can get into ports the big ones can't - but then prices are much less on Celebrity or Princess (who do a lot of cruising down this way). I am sure people will add so much information and so many suggestions you will be inundated.

Sad to hear - not good when a business is forced to close