Aus Traveller

I agree. With the 'clockwise' itinerary, if you have a balcony the starboard side is much better. For views while in the Sounds, up top, particularly at the front of the ship is better. This applies particularly to the entry into Milford Sound. For the 90 mins to 2 hours between the Sounds, there are lovely views of the coast. If you have a balcony cabin on the starboard side, you can relax there and take in the views. It is worthwhile to go up top (to near the front of the ship) for the sail-in to Milford Sound. Then you can return to your balcony to take in the views in more comfort.

Cairns has some great spots - the Esplanade and the enormous pool are just a couple. If anyone wants to go to the Reef, Port Douglas is probably better (in my opinion). There are boat trips to the Outer Reef and also to the Low Isles.

Good suggestion. Thanks. I will check it out at our local Bunnings.

Princess doesn't have steak every night in the 'included' section of the menu, but you can order chips or steamed veges or whatever at no extra cost. When I order barramundi, I ask for chips. Mashed potatoes aren't as good with Barramundi.

The Kids' Clubs are excellent. One of my sons went on a short P&O cruise to Sydney for Australia Day (pre-COVID) with his wife and young son. They had trouble getting their son out of the Kids' Club to go ashore or for anything else.

Regarding the P&O up-charge on side dishes - with quite a few menu items in the MDR, fries are included. The up-charge applies only if you want it added to other dishes.

the OPT is the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay in Sydney.

Another comment re the Pacific Encounter cruise last week. We were on board for 11 days. The only changes to the menu were in a small section called "Crew Favourites" where one item was changed occasionally. In the Waterfront restaurant the menu stayed the same for all three meals in the day and in Angelos the menu stayed the same. We felt this was very poor.

We returned last Friday from a 10-night cruise on the Pacific Encounter to PNG. I will mention that we were on the Encounter twice last year. We noticed that there are more 'pay' items on the menu. At breakfast fried and scrambled eggs are available (with or without bacon) and also omelettes. There is a charge for eggs Benedict and a few other items. At lunch, a very poor Caesar salad is available, with an extra charge of $3 or $4 for grilled chicken on top. There are other 'sides' available at extra cost - including fries (where they aren't part of the dish). We felt there were many more items with a surcharge than there were last year when (for instance), eggs Benedict were an included item. Other observations - There was a trivia session at 9am and again at 5pm with a 'fun' trivia at 10.15am. The shows were '7' (great), Musicology (great) and a new one 'One' that we didn't get to see because we were at Blanc de Blanc.This is an adult show (cost $20pp) in the Black Circus room. Most people we spoke to enjoyed it or thought it was great - we didn't. We weren't offended, we just didn't like the show. A few others also said they didn't like it. The show (1 hr 20 mins) relied in large part on semi-nudity and I felt that some segments went on too long. A warning - if you don't like full nudity don't sit at the sides of the theatre where the view around strategically held towels or a flag gives quite an eyeful. 🙂 I am glad we were closer to the centre of the theatre.

A three-day cruise to 'nowhere' from Perth would not be scheduled to call at any ports. Whether it was anchored or cruising, it wouldn't affect activities on board, although there is a vibe about cruising. I suppose having the casino open would matter to some people, but it wouldn't to me.

It isn't that simple. I feel it is better to see the view of the fiord when the ship is sailing in. Our recent cruise to NZ went around the islands in a clock-wise direction. We had a balcony on the starboard side and really enjoyed the views of the coastline between Dusty Sound and Milford Sound. So for advice on which side to book, I would consider the itinerary of the cruise. If you don't have a balcony, it wouldn't matter much which side you were on because the best views would be from an open deck at the front of the ship.

The original question seemed to be in the form of the old classic "Have you stopped beating your wife". I feel cruising in Australia is very successful and obviously the industry thinks so too.😁

I don't know of any designed for single people. You can book any cabin, but pay extra for the privilege of occupying it as a solo.

We haven't seen shuttle buses in Tauranga. Our last cruise was a Princess one in February this year.

Great info Julie. I can add a few comments - Albany - walk into town but it is uphill. Free shuttle. Burnie - shuttle is free into town Fremantle - shuttle bus from the terminal around the centre of Fremantle

The cruise lines we are currently booking with are Princess and P&O. Both have water in plastic bottles for sale or in the case of Princess, as part of the mini bar set-up.

A large bowl of water would make more mess than an ice bucket if it fell on the floor. 🙂To eliminate chlorine the container should be uncovered and preferably with a fairly large top surface, not a tiny one like a wine or water bottle.

that was my thought. If there was an accident with a large container of water, there would be quite a mess. There isn't much spare space in cabins to store a large container of water. The sink could be inconvenient when we want to wash our hands or the steward comes in to clean.

You don't have to put the water in the fridge. You can leave it in an open container for 24 hours. I thought about that to get rid of the chlorine in cruiseship water, but I thought leaving a large open-top container of water in the cabin might concern the steward.

The ships' water is more highly chlorinated than town water. It has to be. It isn't that I have an aversion to chlorinated water, my gastrointestinal system doesn't like it. On our first couple of cruises last year after the COVID pause, I was spending a lot of time in the bathroom. I don't think I need paint a more vivid picture. ☹️ I realised I had to work something out or give up cruising. So, a Brita jug plus ascorbic acid to add to everything that is prepared using ship's water (soup, coffee etc).

My innards can't cope with the chlorine in the ship's water. I think there are two reasons - we don't have chlorine in our tank water at home and I didn't cruise for more than two years so I became sensitized to the chlorine. Now on ships, I use a Brita filter for water and have to add ascorbic acid to soup and coffee. Wine is OK. 😁

My daughter was considering taking larger containers of water on a cruise her family has booked. In one phone call to Princess, the advice was that only a limited amount was permitted, but on another call, she was told that she could take as much water on board as she likes, but it need to be 'factory sealed'. This was consistent with the old joke - "phone three times and get three different answers". We haven't asked three times about the water so I wonder what the third answer could be.😁 With no cruising for more than two years because of COVID, I developed a sensitivity to the chlorine in the water. This is also probably because we don't have chlorine in our water at home (our own water in tanks). I bought a Brita water filter jug and have found it to be brilliant - much better than I thought it could be.

If the ship leaves at 6pm, passengers won't be able to see the penguins coming ashore but they can go to the visitor centre where viewing windows allow visitors to see inside a penguin burrow. The Penguin Parade - penguins marching from the water and across the sand to their burrows - starts when it is almost dark. The time varies during the year. In June/July it starts around 5.15-5.30pm, but in summer it is 8.45. Numbers vary according to the breeding season.

Princess didn't have a bottled water package available earlier this year. Maybe they plan to re-introduce it.🙂 P.S. I checked my Cruise Personalizer for a cruise in June. There is no water package available. I was surprised at the increased price of the other drinks packages - Premier $170.38 a day, Plus $130.29 a day, Zero Alcohol $60.75 a day, Soda $31.05 a day. Wow!

Irene, I have just now read your post. My thoughts and prayers are with you and Frank and your respective children.🙏