ozmonkeyboy

February 14, 2017

I haven't come across new availability of wine bottle packages on 7 night cruises - do you know where it says this on their website? We are on the 7 night Qld cruise next week on the Sun and always find this package a godsend but thought it wouldn't be available.

I haven't seen the wine package being available in the website

I only have seen the AIBP (all inclusive) for $59 AUD/day available.

Usually your cruise personalizer will indicate what's available.

Be sure to let us know if it was available after the cruise. Enjoy the cruise[emoji2]

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February 13, 2017

I'm surprised that the drink package isn't available on your cruise. Princess recently changed the availability of this to 7 nights or longer (rather than longer than 7 nights)

I think that the happy hour runs 3-4pm in the wheelhouse bar and another one late in the nightclub around 11pm. I've been on the Sun princess where the happy hour has been held.

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February 9, 2017

Yes the ship was full and crowded. 3600 passengers on board !!!
Particually the pools, the horizon court and plaza were crowded

There was no effort made to stop the children diving or bombing into the pools. However apart from this they were pretty well-behaved .

It was possible to find quite spots such as the spa pool when it was open and the aft terace pool.

The food on the whole was good, especially the crown grill.

The six course dinner in the share was average and I don't think I would go back again. No trouble in getting a table in any time dinning.

The entertainment was excellent particularly the magic show and the voice at sea

The entertainment director was very energetic seen all around the ship and also will put together a good wake show.

There were problems with tendering at Champagne Bay By ten o'clock there were 500 people waiting and a two hour wait to tender.

There were six tender boats in operation however only one jetty

If they are going to continue to send large ships to Champagne Bay they need to build a another jetty

On the whole I'm very enjoyable cruise

Princess has a good product.

Yes the two main pools were out of control with no staff supervision that I saw. I think when I was on the Golden Princess late last year, that did have staff watching over the pools all the time, which was a new concept that I had not seen before - that was much better.

Yes agree, if the bigger ships are going to be calling into smaller islands, then they do need bigger jetties to accommodate at least two tenders at a time. Champagne Bay tender which is normally a 10min trip turned into over 30mins in the tender, and that's on top of the long wait to get on one.

And yes, still happy with the Princess Product also :)

February 9, 2017

Did you find the entertainment program was lacking due to the ships layout? We thought there seemed to be a shortage of evening shows as there was only one real theater layout. Club fusion just didn't seem to be well laid out to host shows like the Vista lounges on other ships, so on the cruise we had it seemed there was only the the single 7 & 9pm shows which was disappointing considering the larger volume of passengers.

Yes, I do agree with your statement.

Club fusion very under-utilised and surely more could be done there.

For me personally, we didn't go to a lot of the shows in the theatre/explorers as had seen them before, but I could understand others saying the entertainment was lacking.

February 9, 2017

HI Brisbane41,

I think I was on the same cruise as you in January over to New Caledonia and Vanuatu on the Emerald.

I do agree with some of your comments and others have a different opinion. I travelled with my family on this one (including my children of 11 & 9). I also add my thoughts (if I may);

The Diamond Princess does feel more spacious over the Emerald (& Ruby which I have been on) due to the lower passenger ratio. However, overall we were not too bothered by "excessive crowds". We just got used to picking times and places that avoided peak traffic, and that helped. We avoided the buffet at peak times, it was just too crowded to get a table and also the buffet itself needs the newer polished designs that Princess now have on some of their other ships. The theatre filled up quickly most nights, the piazza was always a busy hub but we were able to find a seat on most occasions we wanted one (this was not the case on a recent Golden Princess Cruise) and as long as you didn't turn up at events at the last minute there was always a space to be had.

Some children were out of control and rude, but I have seen this more and more lately on cruises (and in everyday life). I was told by staff at the kids club that there were over 500 kids on this particular cruise (large number for Princess, but it was in the holidays), but for this number, the vast majority were no problem. Thankfully my children were given a few positive comments by others about their politeness and behaviour

The food (as subjective to each reviewer as it is) we found to be good, not great, not bad. We ate in the dining room most nights, service was good, but agreed the lack of Princess Favourite Meals was disappointing. Being on other recent Princess cruises, this seems to be the common theme now. We also ate in the Crown Grill, steaks and ambience were not as good as on the Golden Princess (which we last were on), but accompaniments to the steak were much better. Didn't try Share, and when visiting the great Adagio Bar nearby, Share rarely looked busy.

The tenders on the Emerald Princess are certainly influenced for the worst by passenger numbers. Because some of the island stop required tenders, there were very long wait times. Being Elite helped us, but I did feel sorry for others after hearing some horror stories at Champagne Bay.

My kids enjoyed Kid Clubs for the times that they were there. They have been on a number of cruises now with Princess, and were happy to see some different activities being done on this ship, over the Sun class ships which tend to offer up the same program of activities each time.

The Magic to Do show was on this trip in the Theatre, and my opinion was that it was the best Princess Show I have seen. You could tell the vast difference between that production and the standard "Princess Singers & Dancers" show. Just my opinion, others may disagree.

I do agree with the lack of waiters roaming around offering service. First time I have encountered that missing on a Princess Cruise.

I have more thoughts, but my time is limited.

We enjoyed the cruise and like the Grand Class Ships of Princess, and the additional facilities that they offer (over the smaller ships). Vines is great if you enjoy wine (they serve the Wine perfectly), the international Cafe is a great concept ( both missing on the Diamond if memory serves correctly) and there were a few other small areas they one could great away from the masses if needed. All the ships offer something different, none are fully perfect, but any cruise is better than no cruise, that's why we all continue to enjoy cruising.....

February 7, 2017

Great article and great work by all involved....

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February 7, 2017

Going on the princess cruises "golden princess"and looking at drink prices in email.....$34 for a 375ml jack Daniels. Is this right? Can anyone shed some light on how this works as in is that each drink or a package????

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Hey Mick74

I think what you saw was the price for a 375ml bottle that you can order for your room whilst onboard.

I just got off the Emerald Princess & a glass of JD & coke cost $7.75.

I got the all inclusive drink package for $59/day for my last cruise and found it to be worthwhile and convenient.

Have a great cruise....

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January 31, 2017

Just off Emerald in Australia today and it was still $19.

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January 31, 2017

Just getting off Emerald Princess today and we had to miss Mystery Island on Australia Day due to strong winds. The seas were pretty calm but it was the wind that made the captain continue past the stop.....

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November 21, 2016

Not sure about the 3 day as we didn't get up there but there was a note in our cabin advising it was on. It was definitely on during the Tasmanian cruise.

Thanks for reply.

We were on the 3 day Syd-Melb getaway but had no note in the cabin that it was on. It didn't matter for this one as the cruise was over very quickly but will be going on the Emerald in January and more hopeful that it would be happening for that one.[emoji2]

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November 21, 2016

I really like the guacamole dip and corn chips when they have them.

Yes, they are good....[emoji2]

Did they have this setup on the recent 3 day Syd-Melb getaway cruise on the Golden?

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November 21, 2016

Yes for the Emerald too.

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Thanks for replies.

Good to know that they are doing this in Australian waters, just a small bonus in a nice relaxed atmosphere.

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November 20, 2016

Would like to know if Princess are running the Elite/Platinum lounge in Skywalker at 5pm each day on the Emerald & Golden this year in Australia.

Also because I like the odd drink or two, are they running Happy hour twice a day to quench the thirst?

Thanks.

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April 22, 2016

Sorry to hijack the thread but does anyone know if you can still order pizza on the Sun Princess since the Share change?

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March 2, 2016

Hi all, I've got a quick question about coffee on board.

If I were to buy a coffee card, or AIBP, where can I get a proper espresso coffee? Is it only available if I traipse down to the International Café (I'll be on one of the upper decks) or can I also grab a latte on the open decks somewhere, or in the MDR or buffet with breakfast?

Also, is it any good? I'm an inner Melbournite so my standards are pretty high :)

Last few times onboard the Sun Class ships (earlier this year), they offered the espresso at the bar near Horizon Court, the Patisserie or Int Cafe (Sun), the main dining rooms and also Crooners Bar on Deck 7.:)

February 13, 2016

As per above post, the food will be exactly the same. I also agree with your description of the food on P&O which is very disappointing.

January 30, 2016

Am just off the Dawn Princess south pacific cruise and can confirm (as per above comments) the show times were;

8 nights shows were on at 7.45/8pm & 9.45/10pm.

2 nights shows were on at 6.15 & 8:30pm

2 nights shows were on at 6.45 & 8.45pm.

The earlier 6.15/6.45 ones were more for the guest entertainers while the 7.45/8pm ones were the dawn princess singers/dancers.

Hope that helps.

I will say though that the cruise director was changing for the next cruise for an extended period so things may change again.

Happy cruising.

January 4, 2016

Am on board.

They advised this at check in this morning.

Necessary maintenance was the information provided.

Schedule not interrupted on this short cruise as it was a sea day tomorrow then Albany is as scheduled for the 6th.

December 8, 2015

Unfortunately from the handful of times that I have embarked or disembarked from Melbourne, I have had similar experiences. Its always been problematic for varying reasons, unlike other terminals where experiences have been much more pleasant.

Maybe I am unlucky in Melbourne.....:)

November 9, 2015

I have multicharger thing (sorry don't know what it's called!), it has one electricity plug and a box with 4 USB points for connecting multiple chargers.

I hoped since it's not technically a powerboard that it might get past any cruise ship restrictions. I didn't bother to take it on my first cruise because it was so short I only had my phone with me, but it would be useful in future.

Has anyone successfully brought these aboard, without having to sneak them in?

I did the 2 day cruise on Golden Sydney - Melbourne and had no trouble bringing such a unit on board.

I have never had trouble on any of the Princess ships with the multiple USB charger unit.

October 31, 2015

I bought the Soda and More package, at the bar next to the International Cafe before sailaway. I had to purchase a second time because the online purchase I'd made a few days before sailing hadn't come through. I was refunded for the double up, eventually after some chasing.

Thanks for clarification. As noted in other post, I heard a couple asking to purchase it on day one, and was refused by the bartender. Maybe there was some confusion on their behalf, but I thought it was clear what the cruiser was asking.

Good to hear though that they were selling it.:)

October 31, 2015

Soda and more package was available on board, the other couple traveling with us purchased it at the bar on the lido deck. They put the sticker (barq's) and cups delivered to the room. We did get different style cups for each couple though?

That's good to hear that they were selling it.

I actually overhead a bar attendant advise that it wasn't available on this two night cruise - so obviously misinformed.

I had prepurchased it (as my wife likes mocktails), and the waiter in the wheelhouse bar on day one charged us for a mocktail, as they did not know that the mocktail was covered under the package. It was fixed, but strange as had never had that problem before.

October 31, 2015

Sorry just saw this thread, so excuse my post in the other Syd-Melb 2 nighter thread.

I was also fortunate enough to be on this cruise as well, and generally concur with your thoughts, including a younger crowd and a more relaxed atmosphere than on normal Princess Cruises.

Other thoughts included;

- The Golden looked a little more tired than I expected, however I did have high expectations. Not as flashy as the Diamond, but still not as tired as the Sun Class ships.

- I love the layout of the Grand Class Princess ships in comparison to the Sun Class ships that we Aussies are familiar with. Although they have more passengers, I find that there the public areas cater for this increase well, and there are more facilities onboard for us to enjoy.

- The AFT pool is shaded, but the pool itself I thought was the warmest onboard. The shade was an option for those that didn't want the full sun, and I found it to be no problem.

- The Wheelhouse bar was midship on Deck 7, and somewhat smaller than on other ships that I have been on. Little disappointed, as I love the Wheelhouse bar, and it often was full in the evening when looking for a spot. Noted that Sabatini's and the Crown Grill were both on Deck 7.

- Food (in my opinion) was typical Princess, nothing spectacular but also nothing horrible. Dined in main dining, buffet, didn't get a chance in the specialties. I dined in anytime dining, small wait times each night, was asked to share a table both nights to avoid the wait times (one night we did, next we didn't), but if you wish to dine just with your partner (ie table for two), a table was found within 5 minutes.

- Staff and service, mostly good, being a 2 nighter it was pretty full on most times, as everyone was always on board, keen to see and try as much as possible, so staff were under the pump.

- I loved the intranet setup on my smart phone with Princess. Being able to view the patter, view your on board account immediately when charges were made (given that we no longer sign for purchases and receive receipts), and also use the messenger facility with fellow registered passengers is a great added bonus. Well done Princess for stepping in the right direction.

- Sydney embarkation process was great, Melbourne was a disaster, as the ship arrived late (due to media event), and all disembarkation times were behind. Taxi queue was horrendous, but be aware, this has happened at every disembarkation in Melbourne that I have done (maybe I am unlucky there). Sydney and Brisbane Terminals seem to do it so much better....

- It was interesting to note on this particular cruise that;

a) no platinum/elite evening lounge was offered in Skywalkers (we instead received a free drink voucher) I wonder if this will be offered on the longer cruises??

b) no "Happy Hour" was offered in the Wheelhouse Bar. I have been on 2 night cruises where they have offered this.

c) No Bathrobes or Blue Princess Carry bags were offered in the room. Had to request these.

d) As mentioned in initial post, Sundaes was still onboard offering the Free Soft Serve Ice as well as Milkshakes, etc

e) The staff were not selling the Soda (& More) Package, or coffee cards that I saw when we boarded, but they were available for pre-purchase before the cruise.

Hopefully the above info doesn't come across in a negative tone, as I enjoyed the short cruise, and wouldn't hesitate to advise anyone to check out the Golden Princess and enjoy a cruise on her.

Happy to answer any Q's, etc

October 31, 2015

Posted this in reply to a review on the main Princess Board, so thought Id add here also in the local discussion.