bronte2

We've sailed both Princess (a lot) and P&O but only on Arcadia. This is a child free ship and we have only sailed on segments of her World Cruise so we can't comment on Caribbean or European cruises.

I think the comparisons depend on where and when you are sailing. For example, Princess have ships based in Australia that cater to the local market so most of the passengers are from ANZ and there are other changes made to accommodate the local market. So you may have a different experience on these ships compared to some of the others. We have found the size of the ship also makes a difference and that depends on personal preference.

In the 70 odd days we have had on Arcadia we have only ever met passengers from the UK or ANZ and the ship is definitely geared towards the British market.

There are some things we like about Arcadia more than Princess but other things we prefer on Princess.

The only way to find out whether a ship/line suits you is to work out what sort of ship suits you, small, medium, large, what itinerary and price suits you, weigh your research and then give it a try :)

Princess has a great product and we have an upcoming cruise on one of the small ships which we just love, but we have also booked a segment of Arcadia's 2015 world cruise as the itinerary and price suits us.

We have just moved from Sydney and I don't think you need worry about mosquitoes in the city itself. If you happen to be in somewhere like the Botanical Gardens at dusk or dawn then that could be a different matter.

As for dress, as MicCanberra posted it depends where you are going. Smart casual would be suitable in most cases. You would find that in upmarket restaurants for example, there would be a tendency for it to be a bit more dressy in the evening.

March is a great time to visit Sydney IMHO as the humidity has gone.

Enjoy your stay and have a great cruise.

We docked at Klong Toey on one cruise on a smaller ship. As others have mentioned Laem Chabang is the other port which is a long way out. We were on the same size ship as previously so not sure why we docked at Laem Chabang rather than Klong Toey.

Laem Chabang was very, very smoggy when we were there. It seemed a lot worse than in the city.

Yes, Ocean Princess leaving SYD on Mar. `17…to Singapore. Will we see you then??

You most certainly will. Sorry I didn't notice you had the cruise listed under your signature. :D

If you are interested there is a roll call for the Sydney to Singapore sector and another one for the Singapore to Cape Town sector.

Thank you all for your responses!

 

Bronte2, I will keep an eye on this board incase you are able to get to Lone Pine before too long and are able to give a report.

 

buchhalm…We have done SYD's Taronga Park….loved it! We have no special affinity for gathering Irwin memorabilia…and would prefer to skip some of the horrendous traffic stories about which we are reading!

 

Our ship, the Ocean Princess is a little gal, and will be docking at Portside Wharf. We were glad to recently read this…It should open up our ability to get around a bit more. It would be fun to take a boat to Lone Pine. Guess I need to read up on that!!

Are you sailing this year? If so, it seems we are on the same cruise.

He did the same on at least one of the other forums - I think it was Princess. Dragged up tons of old posts. The moderators deleted thankfully.

We docked at the Grain terminal last year and there were plenty of taxis available but it's an expensive exercise and getting back to the grain terminal presents problems too. We rang for a cab and the cab company didn't know where it was and the driver didn't either. Perhaps in the last 12 months this has changed as more ships dock there but it is a long way from anywhere. Hopefully you will be lucky and the tides will be right and you will dock at Portside which is much more civilised!

Flipper is right, a ship's excursion is probably best. We make the trip to and from Brisbane every week and not in peak hours but the road is still very busy. Last week there was a crash on the north bound side and the traffic was at a standstill for kilometres. Luckily I was heading south:D. At least if you are on ship sponsored excursion and this happens, the ship will wait.

DH and I will still visit the zoo probably next week and let you know what we think.

Actually, I was just thinking that DH and I could go today and let you know what we thought but it's too hot to go wandering around a zoo and it's also the last week of the school holidays so would most likely be more crowded. Perhaps we will go next week.

I'll keep you posted so to speak:)

The zoo actually isn't in Brisbane, it's on the Sunshine Coast and approximately a 1 hour trip from Brisbane depending on traffic. If the traffic co-operates, it's a relatively easy run. If you do go, don't leave it until the last minute to get back to the ship in case you come across a traffic jam.

I'm sorry, I can't help with comparisons as we have only recently moved here from Sydney so have lots of new places to explore. I hope someone else can help you out in this respect.

We docked at the grain terminal last year on Arcadia and it presented an issue for taxi drivers - they didn't know where it was!

We arranged to meet family at Portside for lunch so a taxi from the terminal to Portside was no problem apart from the price - around $50, however on the way back we had to call a cab. The cab company didn't know where it was and then the driver had the same problem and overshot the turnoff. It was an expensive outing - $100 in cab fares alone :eek: unfortunately there was no room in the family car so we had no option but to get a cab.

I'm not sure how much the shuttle into the city is but I would hope it wouldn't be $50!

We are doing a "short hop" next month on Arcadia and have been informed that all monetary transactions will be in GB pounds. We must also have medical insurance to cover us for evacuation costs! After a not so impressive last cruise with another line, we are looking forward to P&O-mixed reviews-UK, fingers crossed!

Steve.

Have a great cruise. We've been on Arcadia a couple of times and she is a really nice ship. She does seem to get mixed reviews and we find it a bit puzzling. She is certainly not perfect but neither are any other ships. We spent 51 days on her last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. We've got another 40 days booked next year so if she was as bad as some reviews suggest, we definitely wouldn't be going back :D we aren't P&O cheerleaders either as we don't get the 'perks' on P&O UK that we get on our usual line.

Currency is definitely GBP on board so just remember that those price tags aren't $ :eek:

Smooth sailing!

Princess Australian based ships frequently visit Vanuatu and so do P&O Australia.

Princess also visit the Solomons but only about once per year.

Carnival, HAL, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity also have ships based in Australia over our summer and do make calls to South Pacific but mainly the closer islands such as Vanuatu, Fiji and Noumea and of course NZ.

Princess also run a cruise return from Sydney that usually includes Vanuatu, Noumea, Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa & Fiji.

A number of lines cross the Pacific as part of their World Cruise including P&O UK, HAL, Princess, Oceania and Princess, HAL and Royal Caribbean include some of these ports in their repositioning cruises each year.

I've never heard of a cruise ship visiting Nauru (at least not in recent years). Tonga I believe is updating it's facilities so perhaps it will get back on itineraries.

I know HAL is visiting Tonga in 2015 as part of the World Cruise however is not calling at any of the other ports in your list.

Kiribati, Pulau, Tuvalu are rarely visited by any of the major lines.

I can well understand your head being about to explode:D

As Floridiana has mentioned, the local currency in Tahiti and Noumea is Pacific Francs. You may find some retailers will accept $US but I wouldn't count on it. There are ATMs readily available in both places.

The islands closer to Australia and NZ such as Vanuatu and Fiji (but not Noumea) will accept AUD and probably NZD due to the large number of tourists who visit from ANZ. Once again there are ATMs available.

I find that in French Polynesia it saves hassles if you have local currency so I always just go to the ATM.

If the ship calls at Pago Pago you will be able to use USD there.

Enjoy your cruise

The immigration cards are delivered to your cabin a few days before you need to present them, along with instructions on how to fill them in.

April is usually the month the ships leave the South Pacific and Asia.

Oosterdam is leaving Sydney on 13 April 2014 and travelling to Seattle or Vancouver via the South Pacific.

Volendam is doing a North Pacific crossing from Tokyo to Vancouver on 14 April.

I believe the schedule is similar in 2015.

Hope this helps.

You can visit the Colo-I-Suva National Park. You can walk down the trails to some small waterfalls and lovely cool pools where you can swim.

It's not for anyone who has mobility issues as the trail is narrow and there are tree roots to be negotiated. You need to pay an entrance fee at the park 'gate'.

The ship will probably offer an excursion here but if you don't want to do that, check the tour operators on the pier.

I'm a bit dubious about taking a taxi to the park as I know one couple were dropped a long way from where the trail starts.

I am really curious about Norovirus -- with unanswered questions like, why does it break out on one ship and not another -- why does it break out on ships at all when it doesn't do so in other crowded quarters??

 

I know that there will be immediate answers to these questions - and I have heard them all -- but they don't satisfy me.

 

I spent 10 years in the Navy -- in VERY close and crowded conditions - and never ever even heard of anything comparable to Norovirus. We have also been on 15 cruises now and have only ever been on one ship which had it (to our knowledge) and it didn't affect either my wife or me.

 

So many questions -- so few answers :)

 

We were in the UK last Xmas/NY and there was an outbreak with over 1 million cases reported so goodness knows how many cases were unreported.

We boarded Arcadia in early January so we were thinking that with 2000 pax there was bound to be a few boarding who had noro. For the first few days, the crew served the food in the buffet and the outbreak was contained thankfully. I never spoke to anyone who contracted it and heard that it was confined to a handful of cases.

 

I avoid public restrooms on ships like the plague and use sanitisers but these are only anti bacterial so don't kill noro. Luckily, so far so good.:)

There was something on ABC Brisbane radio too, but I wasn't really listening so just heard there was a man overboard from a cruise ship. Very sad so let's hope the search is successful.

Great list Widebay. Can I also add a wander around Clarke Quay. We enjoy walking around there and there are some lovely older buildings as well as lots of restaurants. It's also very lively at night time with locals and tourists. Little kids seem to have a ball playing in the water jets especially at night as they change colours.

Last time we were there, we actually decided to take a boat ride along the river. We found it quite enjoyable and the commentary was quite interesting.

Another way to get to Sentosa Is is to take the cable car. Great views but not for those who don't like heights :eek:

In Noumea you can use credit cards but I don't think many places will accept $US. Perhaps the cafe at the terminal may but I wouldn't count on it. Most of the shops will only accept Pacific Francs or credit cards.

Lifou is only a tiny island so I would be wary of relying on a credit card. I don't have any experience of trying to use one here as we have always used cash. The traders at the little market at the tender port may accept US cash but once again, I wouldn't rely on it so it would be best to have some local currency.

I haven't been there for a couple of years so perhaps someone who has been there recently can shed some light on this.

New Zealand will obviously accept credit cards but won't accept $US in shops. If you wish to pay in cash you will need $NZ.

I can't remember specifically where the closest ATM is but the town is only across the road and there are ATMs there.

Lifou is one of the Loyalty Is which are part of New Caledonia so the official currency is Pacific Francs. There will be some market stalls set up at the tender drop off and most of the stall holders will accept AUD as well.

Bay of Islands is in NZ so the currency is NZD.

Lifou is a delightful little island. If you don't have anything planned, take a walk up the hill to the left of the tender port. There is a rustic little church at the top of the hill which you will see when you sail in. There are great views of the ship and surrounding areas from here.

I believe the HOHO bus tickets are for the full day so this would indicate you could spend all day riding around if you chose to :D I would check with the operators before you purchase the tickets just to make sure.

For places to eat, there is a cafe right next to the passenger terminal which seems popular with both locals and cruisers. We ate there on a previous trip and the food was fine. Last year we only had a drink but observed the meals of a local family at the next table and the food looked great. To the right of the terminal on the waterfront just a short 2 minute walk away there are a couple of cafes. I don't recall how many eating places there were as the area was pretty busy as I believe there was free wifi :) so we just wandered past.

There are cafes and restaurants at the beaches where the HOHO bus stops but I don't have any recent experience so can't recommend anywhere. Just be careful as they can be expensive.

I hope some of this is helpful.

If you are on a larger ship you will dock at the container port and be transported to the arrivals hall by bus. There is a small market inside both on the ground floor and upstairs. You will also find tour operators here as well.

The small town is just across the road and you can wander around here but really there is not a lot to keep you engaged but maybe that's just me as we have been there a number of times. :D Having said that, it's still nice to have a wander around.

Probably your best bet is to get the HOHO bus which will give you a good overview of the surrounding area. You should be able to get the tickets in the arrivals hall. It tours most of the major sites including the Tjiboutou Cultural Centre and the beaches. It stops at a hillside viewpoint which gives wonderful views over Noumea.

If you take the HOHO bus it will still give you time to wander around town.

Last time we were there the only thing we wanted to see was the Tjiboutou Centre so we took the HOHO bus there and didn't bother getting off anywhere else but still enjoyed the ride.

Just near the arrivals hall on the same side of the road, is a series of cafes/bars which will be packed with cruisers using the wifi!

Enjoy your time in Noumea

If I take AU$ to an NZ bank what ID do I need? Do Princess keep your passports - would a copy do for the bank? any help would be appreciated

 

If not - where in Melbourne could I change some more AU to NZ? I already have some NZ - but I might want some more

Just out of interest, we were on a cruise in Auckland and had some AUD100 notes. The ship wouldn't accept AUD100 notes so we just took then to one of the banks near the port and they happily gave us AUD50 notes without any ID. Mind you we are not talking a lot money, just a couple of hundred.

We really would like to see the Great Barrier Reef and some of the inland rainforests and other beauty that Australia has to offer. The travel guide shows a lot do around that area. Any opinions on this?

IMHO you would need more than 1 week to see both Sydney and The Great Barrier Reef and the surrounding area. Basically, if your cruise finishes in Sydney and you fly to Cairns from Sydney that's one day gone as by the time you check in at the airport, add flying time (it's a few hours), get settled in a hotel - day gone. :eek:

Returning to Sydney would be a bit the same.

Obviously it is doable, it depends whether or not you mind having a small amount of time in both places.

One thing to bear in mind as far as the Reef goes, is that earlier in the year is not the best time to visit the reef as it's the rainy season and the seas are rougher and the visibility is poorer. There's also the possibility of a cyclone. Therefore April would be a much better month to travel if you choose to go to the GBR and Far North Queensland.

Obviously as mentioned before, there is no guarantees with weather at any time but April is definitely less risky than Jan or Feb.

I hope this helps with your planning.