sun-set

It looks as if the Pearl has missed Akaroa today, the cam shows them at sea.:mad:

Does anyone have any more information.:)

Hi everyone,

 

For those who don't know, Cruise Critic has a Facebook page dedicated to Australians. If you're on Facebook, please come over and "like" the page! Search for "Cruise Critic AU".

 

This week I am reporting from onboard Seabourn Sojourn as she crosses from Adelaide to Fremantle. Last night was an Aussie themed deck party, and today we arrive in Bunbury, where I'll be taking the excursion to Margaret River.

 

Who am I? Louise Goldsbury, editor of Cruise Weekly (Australia & NZ) and I have my own Facebook page 'Cruisey Life', which Cruise Critic AU is also promoting this week. So come on over and support your local rep!

 

Thanks :)

Why split the Australian, New Zealand Cruise Critic site with Facebook?

Facebook are so intrusive :confused:

I agree with By the Bay - we have also enjoyed our cruises on the Jewel.

 

Entertainment is good. Food is good - especially Luke Mangan's Salt Restaurant and at $49 for a 3 course meal it is still an absolute bargain. In Sydney the main by itself would be that price!

 

Jewel is a very comfortable ship......I particularly like the Oasis on Deck 10 aft - great place to sit and look at the ocean and enjoy the sun. This is a child-free area and nice and peaceful.

$49 each when you have already paid for your meals!!!!!

:confused:

Crystal Symphony is in White Bay today. 16 Feb 2014 . Heres what her 3 cams are sending out to the world.

 

 

 

Thanks David they are good quality pictures (for cruise cams,) but certainly not the best pictures to promote Sydney.

White Bay is a big big disappointment :mad:

There is no shore to ship power for cruise ships at any port as far as I know..... Sounds more like just another whinge from a handful of whacko greenie locals.....again:eek:

I think that is a bit harsh, greenies can sometimes go too far, but diesel is a serious health hazard and even families living in a city environment shouldn't have to be subjected to this dreadful pollutant.

White Bay was always going to be an awful place for a cruise terminal both for passengers and residents.:mad:

We have used the catamarans at Airline Beach, Yorkers Knob and Port Douglas.

They were far more comfortable than the tenders, the scenery could be viewed much better,and if you suffer claustrophobia or allergy to diesel fumes you would wish all tendering could be with catamarans. :)

That should be Airlie Beach and Yorkeys Knob but my spelling corrector thought otherwise and changed it.

We have used the catamarans at Airline Beach, Yorkers Knob and Port Douglas.

They were far more comfortable than the tenders, the scenery could be viewed much better,and if you suffer claustrophobia or allergy to diesel fumes you would wish all tendering could be with catamarans. :)

Thanks for taking so much trouble with the review:) We are all still watching and waiting for the rest before boarding the Oosterdam and we do very much appreciate it.

Bummer! That's actually quite expensive. I was hoping it would be included, or at least a lot cheaper, as I love sushi for lunch.

 

It would be interesting to hear how popular it is on non-Japanese cruises. I suspect the extra cost will stop a lot of people from going to it more than once, if that.

We were on a cruise around New Zealand in November, the Sushi restaurant was hardly used at all, the only customers I saw there were staff.

A pity because it used to be a nice place to sit and perhaps have a cup of coffee when other places were crowded, a pity.:confused:

Thanks for posting Kiwi cruiser I'm sure you will have a great cruise we always do on Princess.

Is it true that most, if not all, cruises are not calling in at Lifou at the moment because of an outbreak of Dengue Fever? Would I miss out on much by way of scenery on shore if my cruise next week does not stop at Lifou?

It would be a pity if you miss Lifou but as Bob said you would visit another Island instead and it will always be an excuse for another cruise!

On our first visit we joined a ships tour travelling through several interesting villages and nice countryside with some views.

We then arrived at Luecila Beach one of the best I have seen.(a picture is attached)

On our second visit we snorkelled (no charge then} plenty of colourful fish.

We then walked to the church on the top of the hill, wonderful views of the beach and coast, it is always a bonus to have a hill to climb for the views.

Then in the opposite direction to a village, viewed another church and coastal views.

Finally had a swim on the beach where the tenders land, shopped in the small market tent and returned to the ship.

Yes I think Lifou is a a wonderful place to visit better than Mare' and Ouvea although I liked them very much as well.:)

As tropical cyclone Ian is now increasing strength in the South Pacific I wonder if any cruise ships in the area will be affected.

Can anyone advise me if minibar/fridge is supplied to a balcony cabin on deck 5 of Carnival Spirit or any other cabin for that matter that is not a suite

 

John

Yes they call a mini-bar and you will need to ask the cabin Steward unlock it.:)

Thanks for posting the pictures, as I have a friends on board arriving at The Isle of Pines tomorrow I am very interested to read your review.

Pity they don't have webcams on HAL ships, :mad: I would have thought it well worth the advertising value, I'm sure many cruises are sold to people after they have followed previous cruises on the cams.:)

More great pictures since I posted, what wonderful company to travel with, you were guaranteed a fun cruise.

P&O aren't the only company that have problem displaying their deck plans on iPads. You really need to check other sites and be obsessive about your research.

 

It is very unlikely that a sales consultant is ever going to admit to a cabin having specific problems. They want the sale and they are never going to get in trouble for saying they are not aware of any problems (which they would probably never be told about anyway).

 

On the bright side you can look forward to never being tempted by a P&O cruise again and you can switch to a superior cruiseline (i.e. any cruiseline that is not P&O)

I have never had any trouble saving deck plans on my IPad.

Just put the name of the ship followed by deck plans PDF on Google and lots of sites will come up, not necessarily the cruise lines. When you open a site offering the PDF just click save then you should find it in ibooks

After having slight noisy from scraping chairs when we were on deck 11 on a previous cruise, we were sure to ask if there were issues.

 

You cannot view deck plans from apple devices on the P&O website so we were reliant on their information being honest/accurate.

 

Their solution was offering us two cabins on deck 6 at either end of the ship. Not ideal as one cabin was in use by our children. No offer of monetary compensation for the difference between the cabin classes either.

 

Oh well, RCI and Princess here we come.

 

Let the traveller beware!

I download the PDF of the deck plans on all the ships I think I might travel on.

Just find them on Google and on the IPad save them to ibooks, if you do this you will always be able to check the cabin locations yourself.

I'm certain you can save any deck plans on all Apple devices.

:)

Sorry, I don't mean to make anyone angry or upset. I didn't come up with the phrase but it was certainly used a lot when I was younger. As I said, things have changed considerably with just about any age group cruising now.:D

I am sure you didn't mean to upset anyone, and I also remember the phrase

I am sorry I felt I had to mention it I certainly didn't want to upset you, but I feel it was always a cruel phrase.:)

I think many older people would find it very upsetting to be referred to as nearly dead.:mad:

I think many older people would find it very upsetting to be referred to as nearly dead.:mad:

Called The Spirit of Mawson it's recreating a journey made by Douglas Mawson - seems there are scientists explorers and tourists on board

Mawson made the journey okay, but they are still trapped by ice so thick they can't be reached, even by an ice breaker.

Perhaps the problem is global cooling!!!:confused:

World Cruise prices have always been high.

Anything that is a one off is much higher than a standard cruise that visits the same ports over and over again. They have to ship containers of supplies....like frozen food...around the world to meet up with the ship in certain ports. Also there is a wider selection in the food available....I think you would get sick of a 7 day menu repeating itself every week . They also have more events and activities than a normal cruise. Guest Entertainers have to be flown to meet up with the ship and then be flown home again.When we were on a sector we watched a container being unloaded on the wharf and stowed aboard. It was amazing what came on board , everything from food to furniture.

 

Bargains or discounts do occur, but they are usually for sectors of the cruise and you have to be almost ready and waiting for them as they sell out like hot cakes.....and you would need to have access to cheap last minute one way flights , to out of the ordinary ports.

Some of the lines also shower the guests with gifts as they travel around the globe. HAL is one that does this.

 

Thanks for such a good explanation Kiwi Kruzer, we will look again at world cruises with all this in mind, cruises are great value compared to traditional holidays so I guess any extra expense has to be passed on.

Does anyone know why world cruise prices are so high, we would like to travel as we did in the past by sea to Britain, but compared with other cruises the fare per day is much higher.

One would expect as with other commodities the more you purchase the cheaper the prices, not the reverse.

Perhaps it really costs the cruise lines more, or is it they just find people that think it's a trip of a lifetime so who cares about the money.

I do not eat bread and beans, I choose to cruise. LOL.:D

I eat bread and beans so that I can cruise:p

Speciality food does seem to be very much in fashion, the only improvement they could make for me personally is to supply less exotic food and more basic Australian food in the regular restaurants :), but I am obviously in a minority.

If people really enjoy paying extra to feel special I am happy for them and for a special occasion they are a great idea, but not at $100 per couple when the meal is already paid for.:confused:

I think it is all wrong.:mad:

The categories as they are now are crazy.

Instead of Mid Aft or Forward they should all be listed

and prices set by ...

 

distance to the food. :D

quote

 

I agree it is best to be as far away from the food as possible to avoid overeating, and the exercise would also help combat the effects of overeating.???

Well worth paying a little extra to stay slim, I guess this is what you had in mind. :)

Ok, we have read your posts and you have stated your case. No need to keep harping on about it because it is becoming like a football game. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and all understand you didn't have a good experience. I do note that you pay out on the staff ..... which does raise the question, if they had they had the opportunity to respond, how do you think they would?

The staff were great Foxwald as they always are on cruise ships, you will have a great time, the ship is unusual and well worth experiencing. They are taking onboard comments to improve any problems, so by the time you sail it should be perfect.:)