Worldtraveler 4727

2 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

You might want to carry it. Miami is notorious for threating your bags like they were in a Samsonite commercial.

We just didn't want to hang on to the garment bag while we go to lunch and wait for our suite to be ready, but if the garment bag won't be safe in the hands of the stevedores or the Regent staff assigned to bring luggage to suites, then I suppose the only recourse is to hang on to the bag until our suite is ready.

Anyone else have experience with garment bags at the Port of Miami?

We will be driving to the port in Miami to embark. My husband has garment bag containing his linen jackets. 

Is it to be handed to the stevedores along with our other luggage?

Can we trust it will it arrive in our suite in good shape and contents not be crushed?

Thank you for sharing your experience with this.

Ask your Room Steward during that initial first afternoon introductory meeting in the Suite for the list of "included" wines and spirits.

Might anyone currently on Grandeur or recently on Grandeur have a copy of this list?

Thank you.

It would be best to follow the indication for meals on your itinerary, especially since you are on a different land tour. 
And no, no restaurant recommendations. When you are on your own for meals, it’s probably best to Google what is nearby; otherwise you’ll need to order an Uber or cab. 
Ayers Rock is very small. Not many choices. 

5 hours ago, cleoruby said:

Why four flights?  Our land tour says we fly from Sydney to Ayers Rock and then to Cairns and then back to Sydney.  That is only three flights.

You must be on the “Ultimate Outback” tour. 
We are on the “Ultimate Australia” tour. It includes Darwin, which we absolutely loved! 

1 hour ago, KYBOB said:

So what happens if it weighs over 15#? I have a camera bag and if I add my laptop I am at 19#. Also are the flights on Qantas or Jetstar? 

Four flights: Three were Qantas, one Jetstar. 
If your ONE checked bag is over 50#, you will be charged extra. 
As for your one carryon, you definitely run the risk of being charged extra as well. You might get lucky with Qantas not weighing your carry on, but Jetstar will weigh, especially if it looks large/heavy. They had people specifically watching for this. 

4 hours ago, cleoruby said:

How was the land tour overall?  We are on this tour starting the 11th and supposed to stay at the Hyatt in Sydney and fly from there to Ayers Rock.  Were you allowed to take a personal bag along with carryon on the flights in Australia?

Yes, like a purse size. And go not go over total weight of 15#. 

BTW: Uber works perfectly in Sydney. Prices of Uber, and cabs vary according to the time of day, like any city. We arrived about 11 AM, and paid $55 AUD from the airport to the Amora Jamison hotel. We intend to do the same after the cruise from the cruise terminal to the airport. You can save yourself some money, and have your Travel Agent take off  the transportation charges on your invoice, which I believe are $100 per person per way? 

On 10/17/2023 at 5:26 AM, skynight said:

Yes, I remember the same things at Uluru and the buffet breakfast. 

Here is a perfect example of how our tour is different than yours and future ones may differ as well:

Because post-Covid so many things in this world has changed— most specifically the number of flights, the number of pilots, the number of flight attendants, the number of restaurant workers, etc. etc. we have all felt the changes— so one of the big changes we had in our tour this week was that the only available flight from Darwin was to Alice Springs, and not Uluru. Therefore, we landed in Alice Springs and took a six hour coach bus ride through the.Outback to get to Uluru. It was not awful, we just got to see a lot of the.Outback. However, we did not see Sunset at Uluru. We went to the sunrise viewing though the next morning. We then boarded a plane at Ayres rock for Sydney. This is our final day in Sydney, and we board the ship this afternoon. There has been nothing but changes in our itinerary. We were originally scheduled to spend two days in Sydney at the beginning of the tour and then go right to the ship from the airport on this day. That was another change in the itinerary for us. We spent one day in Sydney at the beginning of the tour and we are currently in a Sydney hotel (back at the Amora Jamison)and will spend a half day in Sydney here with a bus ride tour of the city AND A TOUR OF THE OPERA HOUSE, which I begged the tour company to tell me before we left if it was included since it was not listed on the itinerary at all. And calling Princess Land was a joke. They couldn’t tell me anything that wasn’t already on the itinerary I already had, and a great deal changed when we got here. Our tour guide said that the itinerary we are currently on was set in March! But I could not get any clarifications from this tour operator or Princess. Our tour guide said Princess definitely had the itinerary last March as well. 
Very frustrating. 

One couple’s itinerary stated they were staying at the Four Seasons in Sydney. Upon landing, they found the tour guide in the Sydney airport, and he was there to pick up all the people coming in and take them to the Amora Jamison. That was the hotel on our itinerary as well, but we came in to Sydney two days early. Anyway, he had two small buses and could only take the exact amount of people that flew in that day and were on his list. This couple was not on his list, but are definitely in our tour group. They had to pay a $90 cab ride to the Amora Jamison hotel because  the tour guy did not have them on his hotel list, but he had them on his tour list. 

On 10/17/2023 at 8:28 AM, nasa1974 said:

Don't forget to purchase head nets for the gnats. Definitely needed them at Uluru.

We were there yesterday. Although we worried a lot about the flies, not a single one was there! Guide said sometimes they’re there and at they are not. Do not buy head nets before you go. They are for sale for $11 AUD everywhere. 

Warning: we are currently ON this  tour (land and sea) and we did NOT stay at Sails in the Desert two nights ago! We stayed at a different hotel. In fact our entire itinerary was also reversed and we did not find this out until we met with our tour guide on day one! There have been many changes. (See above for the many pre-trip frustrations regarding this itinerary with no clarifications from Princess or Tour operator!!!)

5 hours ago, yarramar said:

I cant speak for the tour guide but if I had one client that gave me $10 per day as a tip and another that gave me a $30 gift card (even if it WAS Coles rather than Dan Murphy) I would say thanks to both but inwardly sneer at the $10 per day and be really grateful for the gift which would make my day.

In other words, to an Aussie, a tip means nothing but a gift, no matter how small, is appreciated.

I didn’t know what Dan Murphy was— had to look that one up— but glad to know my idea/gesture will ultimately be appreciated. Thanks for that 👍🏻

23 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Just the accent.  You may need a interpreter!  

😂😂😂

1 minute ago, MMDown Under said:

Delighted to hear that you are enjoying your cruise Down Under.  I feel that way about Americans I meet in the USA.

On our flight over on Air New Zealand, I was talking to one of the flight attendants, and he said,”You will enjoy Australia – – Australians are very much like Americans.”
I am anxious to find out if there is a much of a difference between Australians and New Zealanders. 🤔

1 minute ago, MMDown Under said:

What a smart idea.  Your tour guide would have appreciated that you went to the trouble to buy a gift card. 

Thank you! 
He is doing a great job, and my American state of mind made me want to do “something” and have it be as uncomplicated as possible. 

1 minute ago, lyndarra said:

It sounds wonderful and a great itinerary, packing a lot in to get more of a feel for the place than just dropping in at ports.

BTW I loved the aquarium in Cairns, was there last January on a HAL cruise. Darwin is hot, I've been there several times, but the heat and humidity does not bother me as it does some. Over 30C/86F almost every day of the year.

Thanks for the update

Yes! Likely only to get to AU once, so wanted to see some of the interior. 
We had a wonderfully passionate, young, marine, biologist tour guide at the aquarium. She is passionate about sharks, and we learned a great deal!
Uluru and Darwin are very warm and it’s very humid in Darwin here today, but feels much like South Florida where we winter. 
We LOVED Cairns. Small enough, yet it has everything in anything that a person would want or need.  
And I can’t say enough about the friendliness of every Australian we have met! It is truly been a wonderful experience in this beautiful country so far!

@lyndarra the tour has been wonderful! We came into Sydney two days early and took in the sites and the blue mountains. We picked up our tour of 24 people on Thursday and flew to Cairns, where we enjoyed a tour of the aquarium, dinner at the aquarium and the next day a full day out on the Great Barrier reef. 
Last night we flew into Darwin and are taking in the jumping crock and the royal flying doctors. 
Tomorrow we fly to Alice Springs and take a motorcoach to Uluru. 
From there we fly back to Sydney for one night and board our ship for 13 days around NZ

The hotels have all been absolutely wonderful, as has all the food that has been included, mainly breakfast, some lunches, and a couple dinners.

Our tour guide has been wonderful as well. 

PROBLEM SOLVED: I purchased a gift card from Coles for our tour guide! 👍🏻

@buchhalm Sigh. I truly am NOT coming from an ethnocentric point of view— regardless of your opinion that Americans think USD (and anything else) is welcome worldwide. 
I was on CC months before asking this same question, and was assured by many that  Australia was #1 a country whose citizens enjoyed a living wage, and while tips might be welcome, they are not necessary. #2 I was assured that I did not need cash, and so far that is absolutely true. 
Having leftover euros, yen, pounds, and pesos at home, I hated to possibly add AUD to the unused piles. 
Therefore, I brought no AUD with me. 
I am asking this question again to receive some reassurance about doing what is correct in this culture. 
Thank you to all who helpfully and kindly reply. 

6 minutes ago, Ozwoody said:

Come on guys, their a tourist, its no big deal to exchange US to AUD, any bank can do it.

I have been overseas, and lacked ready local currency and tipped in AUD, people were happy to take anything, it was much better than nothing.

 

Thank you. I did think USD would be welcome over nothing — not ideal, but surely better. 

I am here and halfway through the week-long group tour. 

Hmmm…. No debit card or any ATM useable card….

@Ozwoody would that be for the week, and would it be totally inappropriate to tip in USD?

thank you for your time~

I realize this might have been asked and answered, but please bear with this American…….

Does a tour guide who has traveled with your group for a week around Australia expect a tip?

@Gilly Thank you for the additional link!

I am anxious to share it with our friends.