Sparky74

I received an email and placed an offer but I’m not holding out much hope. 🤷‍♂️

Thanks, Helen. These photos are very helpful. DW has foot and ankle surgery in a fortnight. Perhaps we’re foolish to cruise so early in her recovery but a walk in shower is going to be more practical for her than a shower over tub like other Junior Suites.

Can you remember what the cabin was like, Helen? I’d be particularly interested to know if it has a walk-in shower rather than a bath seeing as it’s sorta an accessible cabin.

Our room assignment for Pacific Encounter has just come through and we’re in 9733 (MD Minisuite). Apparently the beds are configured as two singles and cannot be joined together. Has anyone encountered this before?

DW would like to keep the balance of our annual leave for January to celebrate my *****eth birthday. 🤷‍♂️

Yes, out of Brisbane. I did suggest to DW that we could do B2B, adding either 4 nights to the Whitsundays before the PNG cruise or the 3 night comedy cruise after.

After multiple phone calls and in the end having to use my firm voice, P&O have FINALLY sent through credits for a cruise we missed last year (don’t ask!). DW and I actually have 4 credits between us, 1 each for $113 and 1 each for $1,112.97. So a total of $2,451.94. 😁 My issue is that all of them have a book by date and a sail by date of early October 2023, even the larger ones which were only issued today. 😬 We do have a 10 night cruise to PNG booked June but got it for an incredible $2,000 for a Junior Suite. 😁 So that leaves a balance of $451.94 to be used by October. We weren’t planning another cruise that soon. I wonder if we were to purchase OBC or book shore excursions, could the FCCs be used or that? 🤷‍♂️

I refuse to carry my phone around when on a cruise. And my iOS is too old for the RCI app. We debarked from the Quantum OTS on Thursday. We asked our room steward for the Compass and he delivered ONE to our stateroom each afternoon. I went to Guest Services each morning for an additional copy. They no longer put them out on the racks, you have to ask them for it. I was unsuccessful in my attempts to convince them to service my room twice a day. ☹️

Apart from the water slides, what other changes have been made?

If anyone is free next week and would like to try Cunard to see if it’s a good fit, 6 nights on the Queen Elizabeth can be had for $599. Inside cabin from Adelaide to Fremantle.

Thanks, Jean. We are FINALLY on the road and should be on the ship in a few hours. 8 nights to Noumea, Port Villa, and Mystery Island out of Brisbane. Snd we’ve booked to cruise to PNG in June. Maybe we’ll score a deal and cruise to New Zealand again next year.

TBH it really wouldn’t bother me if we miss all the ports. 🤷‍♂️

Glad to hear that you’re safe, Jean.

According to this website: https://www.cruisemapper.com/?imo=9697753 Ovation OTS is still heading to New Zealand. Rest assured that the captain and the cruiseline will ensure the safety of the ship and passengers. It doesn’t look like they’re rerouting at this stage. They may end up skipping some ports if it is unsafe to dock or if infrastructure in the area has been damaged. I can’t imagine them calling into a port in the middle of a natural disaster.

We sail out of Brisbane for New Caledonia and Vanuatu on Quantum OTS tomorrow. I’m not worried. 🤷‍♂️

Auntie reports from the Golden Princess that although they docked at Wellington yesterday after missing Napier on Sunday, they will not be calling at Lyttelton (Christchurch) today. She reports a 4 metre swell but says it doesn’t feel rough. I wonder if she will get to visit Dunedin tomorrow.

Where are you getting this information? Forecasting weather that far out can be tricky.

We received our credit for isolation from P&O last year but were booked B2B. They wouldn’t allow us to stay onboard for the second cruise. We are expecting the credit for the second cruise to be finalised this week. 🤞

Auntie reports from the Coral Princess that they are skipping Napier and sailing straight for Wellington. The seas are already a bit rough.

Which ship? And was this on the cruiseline's own website or with a third party (online agent)?

Auntie is currently sailing on the Coral Princess and she posted this shot of both ships in Tauranga today.

I think it was Adam Hills who suggested eating a whole packet of Tim-Tam if you were going on a bender. He said that it wouldn’t prevent a hangover but at least every time he threw up he tasted Tim-Tams. Perhaps it might work for sea sickness too?

That’s the cruise that Auntie is on. She’s convinced that Gabrielle will cause more issues for DW and my cruise (Quantum OTS sailing from Brisbane next Wednesday) than hers. I’m not so sure. 🤷‍♂️

🍿🤣

DW and I board Quantum OTS next Wednesday. I don’t think TC Gabrielle will impact our cruise. Meanwhile Auntie is onboard the Coral Princess, currently en route to New Zealand. She may not be as fortunate.