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Worldtraveler 4727

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Posts posted by Worldtraveler 4727

  1. Thanks so much Princess Cruises Fann!
     
    : I really don’t want to bother to  get any Australian Dollars. I always manage to have leftover Euros, British Pounds, Mexican Pesos, etc. 😵‍💫
    Is it realistic to expect to be able to just use my VISA?
     
    Qantas’ weight limit is 50# for the checked bag. I have read that Jetstar’s weight limit is 44#. I know you had one flight on Jetstar. Was the weight limit 44#?
     
    Thank you!
  2. 20 minutes ago, Princess Cruises Fann said:

    The guides had tickets for the whole group. They did make sure that we sat by our traveling partner. 
     

    There were probably about 40 of us on the land tour so if somehow you or your traveling partner didn’t get an aisle seat, you could probably have one of your new “friends” give you theirs.

     

    We did have someone that had limited mobility and the guides did make sure they got a seat and assistance on and off the plane accordingly. For some of the airports that were small once you got off the plane you had to walk a distance to get to the terminal. 

     

    Thanks @Princess Cruises Fann so much for the information! I will pass it along!
    **Did you happen to see the other questions directed to you above on page 1,

    Posts #15 & #17 in this thread we were hoping you'd have time to answer?

    Thank you!

  3. 10 hours ago, cruiser3775 said:

    You are wondering if this information is accurate?   I doubt it. Sydney to Yulara (for Uluru) is a minimum of about 32 hours driving. You'd need two drivers in shifts.  Even the flight takes 3.5 hours. Darwin to Cairns is only slightly shorter.

    So you would get to Yulara and your suitcases would be arriving a day later? And the same from Darwin to Cairns. Seems very unlikely to me. I can understand the tour company wanting you to fly with only carry-on baggage, because it would save them a lot of money on the airfares, but driving your suitcases overland such a long distance doesn't make sense.

     

    A bit of a misunderstanding....the Tour Company/Princess are saying no wheeled carry ons on the motor coaches. We are allowed to check a bag and to take a carry on (wheeled ok) onto the flights.

    Since the luggage transportation information provided to us is ridiculous (as you confirm), we are wondering if the no-wheeled-carryons-in motorcoaches is accurate information. Wheeled is just so much easier to deal with than carrying something.

  4. 6 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

    We now carry ultralight day backpacks with us when we travel, just in case we need them. They are very lightweight so live in our suitcases all the time.

     

    These would be ideal for you to use during your land tour as once you arrive in Australia you could transfer all the things you want to take on the plane with you for the relatively short hops between stops, and check in your normal wheeled carry-ons. 

     

     

    Thank you. I will look into those.

  5. 8 hours ago, arxcards said:

    In reality, your luggage will be on your flights. While you are touring to Uluru on your motorcoach, your luggage will be taken directly to your hotel by another vehicle instead of bouncing around all day on our variable roads - are you staying in Yulara? 

     

    When I say I had never heard of Bob Woods, I don't mean that in a disparaging way. They are set up for international tour groups, and likely sold to the cruise lines as a wholesaler and not direct to the public. As they are invisible to our Aussie travel itineraries, I just cant pass on any info about them. I am sure they offer an excellent tour, or the cruise lines wouldn't use them.

     

    Thank you. Yes, we are over night in Uluru, as well as Darwin and Cairns.

  6. 2 minutes ago, BabySarge said:

    Just a thought but if Bob Woods is an Australian Tour Company you may want to pop over to the Australia page/forum here on CC and see if anyone there can help you out with info or contacting them.  Also they may be able to help with some of the questions about the airlines, hotels, and use of your Visa.  In our recent travels we were surprised to find that some countries were no longer accepting Visa but Master Card was now preferred.

     

    Uluru is awesome!!

     

    Thanks. I've been doing that for months as well.

    • Like 1
  7. 1 minute ago, skynight said:

    All the airline flights were in coach. I did not see any upgrades in our group of 39. We had plenty of clothing and supplies for our 8 day tour, 6 days on the road with the 1st & 2nd evening in Sydney, packed into our 22 inch suitcases and daypacks. 

     

    Yes, I assumed all flights would be in coach, just wondering if there was an opportunity or way to upgrade. One member of our group would really appreciate an aisle seat or more "comfort seating."

     

    According to the info we do have from Princess Cruises Fann and our itinerary, we are planning on one large suitcase to be checked and one carry on for the flights. 

  8. @skynight Thank you for this information. I will pass it on to the tour group member. I am hoping this tour with Princess in AU is as wonderful as theirs in Alaska was. 

     

    I understand, however, that your tour was not with Bob Wood Tours? They are definitely located in AU with no location in the US. Only way to contact them is by phone, email or FB. But they do not respond or only refer us back to Princess. 

  9. 16 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

    I am going to teach you how to tag other CC Members.  The easiest way is if you are replying to one of their messages in the current thread - just use the QUOTE button.

     

    For your situation, you need to use this method:

     

    1. Type the "@" symbol.

    2. Start typing the Member's CC Handle - like this:  @Prin

    3. As you do so, a pop-up list of matching Member Handles appears.  As you type more letters, the list shrinks in size.

    4. Continue to type letters until you see the Handle you want in the list.

    5. IMPORTANT STEP:  CLICK on the Handle name you want - even if you have typed all of the letters.

    6. After you have done so, it should look like this:  @Worldtraveler 4727.

    7. The Member Handle is completed in your post with a dark blue highlight.  This means you have successfully tagged the member and they will receive an email notice that they have been mentioned in a post and a link in the email will take them right to the spot.

    8.  You can hit spacebar, period, and continue typing your post after the Handle is displayed as above.

     

     

    As for your land tour, I am taking in all the information posted and I think you should do this strategy.  Setup a checked large bag (30" or whatever you intend to take).  Pack that with things you don't need until on the cruise.  Each of you pack a carry-on bag (say ~ 22" as specified or check Qantas current regs).  The two carry-ons are for your land trip and will be with you on buses and planes.  You don't see the big bag until on the ship - just like the others.  You can also take another personal item like a large purse/carry bag or back pack. 

     

    Qantas is very watchful for over-size carry-on and personal bags and we got caught up at one airport when we did our own land tour all over Australia that included 4 flights (Sydney to Melbourne, Adelaide to Perth, Perth to Uluru, Uluru to Cairns).  I think it was Cairns.  We had to adjust a lot of stuff to get around restrictions.  They are well under what we can do in North America.

     

     

    Thanks for the info. I gave it a try. 

    16 hours later and counting, my CC friend @compozer still has still not received an email (she looked in "junk" too).🫤

  10. The only reason why we have chosen to do this land tour and cruise with Princess is because they did a FABULOUS job with the one we took with them (land and sea) in Alaska. 

     

    It's not so much "restrictions" as it is lack of information/communication. Most people, I am guessing, simply don't need as much as I seem to want/need and are better able to "go with the flow." I'd rather have a few more details....

  11. 3 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

    I would think like anywhere else, that aisle seats are going to be gone if you wait until arriving at the airport.  IDK from any personal experience with Bob Wood, but passengers check-in at 24hr mark ahead of their flight.  Load up the airline app on your smartphone (hope you have one) and use that to check-in and do seat selection.  That should be the latest you leave it and the latest you could do it.  Perhaps you get an earlier opportunity. 

     

    Chances are, they are using Qantas - seems hard to believe they won't tell you a thing.  They aren't  going to operate radically different ferrying around Princess guests versus folks who book directly with them.  Why don't you approach them as an interested customer for an escorted tour of Australia and find out your answers that way.  Don't mention Princess at all.

     

     

    The problem still remains: we have little to no control over the internal flights. From information we do have from the itinerary or @Princess Cruises Fann, tickets are either handed to you from the tour guide, or you stand in line at the ticket counter when we get to the airport (hours before the flight). So using a phone app to check in and do seat selection is not an option. We will not have tickets much in advance. So the question is--IS there a way to request an aisle seat or comfort upgrade at all?

     

    As for approaching Bob Wood Tours, phone calls to AU are extremely expensive, there is no "toll free number," they do not respond to emails sent through their own website, nor do they answer through their FB page messaging. I stand corrected: After much pestering, they did respond once to say "Please contact Princess with your questions." I refuse to waste any more time trying to contact them. Instead we are choosing to rely on the above CC member who has ACTUALLY BEEN on this tour last January and rely on his experience. 

    • Thanks 1
  12. @Princess Cruises Fann Another member of our group has asked me to ask you the following question (besides the 8 we posted above)

     

    #9: Are seats on flights pre-assigned? (She has physical issues and needs an aisle seat), and is there an opportunity to upgrade to a better seat with more room/comfort once we arrive at the airport or with the tour director before flights? (Again, Bob Wood Travel will not answer any of our questions, and Princess reps know nothing beyond what we already have in hand.)

     

    Again--thanks for your time!

  13. 13 hours ago, dillpickle48 said:

    Checked out some reviews on Bob Woods Tour groups.  All reviews were excellent and the company is regularly used by cruise companies.

     

    @dillpickle48Thank you for that. There is some comfort in it.

    I do wish, however, they would be more forthcoming with answering our questions, or being more complete in the information they have put out, and most importantly, making sure the information is accurate. I. E. they state our large pieces of luggage will go by motorcoach from hotel to hotel while we travel by plane. Understanding the vastness of Australia, that seems pretty ridiculous. We have had to try to search for CC members who have been on this tour and rely on them for important information. 

  14. Ohhh, one more question, please...

     

    Question #8: I really want to not get any Australian Dollars. I always manage to have leftover Euros, British Pounds, Mexican Pesos, etc. 😵‍💫

    Is it realistic to expect to be able to just use my VISA?
    Others on CC/Australia and NZ have said yes. Your recent experience Princess Cruises Fann?

  15.  

    Thank you, Princess Cruises Fann, for your willingness to answer some questions for us!!

     

    Some background information---From Princess website: Land Tours/Australia:
    For domestic Qantas flights within Australia, you are allowed to check one piece of luggage per person, not to exceed 50 lbs per bag. One piece of carry-on baggage is allowed, not to exceed 15 lbs.

    Hand-Carry Tote/Backpack
        •    You'll want this bag with you every step of the way, so include only the essentials.
        •    Items to pack in this bag include travel documents, photo ID, important medication, toiletries, camera, insect repellent, and any extra layers of clothing such as jackets or hats.
        •    Your hand-carry tote bag should be a size that is comfortable to carry and should be able to be stowed under your seat. We recommend soft-sided tote bags or backpacks no larger than 17" x 14" x 4" with a zip enclosure.
        •    Wheeled carry on cases that are used to carry-on luggage on airlines are too large and are not suitable as hand-carried luggage on motorcoaches in Australia.

     

    Question #1: Is it TRUE that wheeled carry on cases CANNOT be used on the motor coaches?? Did anyone have one? Did everyone in the tour group have a soft carryon with no wheels and took the soft packs on to the motorcoach with them?

     

    Also From the Princess Land Tour Itinerary:

    "All Princess cruisetours include our hassle-free luggage handling service every step of the way. During the land portion or your vacation, your luggage will be transported via motorcoach or by truck and delivered to your hotel room."

     

    Question #2: Does our large piece of luggage that we can take along REALLY travel by motorcoach to the various hotels?? Wouldn't that take DAYS to get from one place in Australia to another??

     

    Question #3: Are you allowed to take a personal item like a purse IN ADDITION to the carry on bag, or must it be A PART OF the carry on and counted in the 15# max weight? (and I am assuming that my husband's CPAP case will be accepted separately and not counted as part of the #15 carry on requirement.....)

     

    Question #4: We are arriving to Sydney two days before the land tour, and I am trying to organize tours seeing the Opera House etc. Can you tell me about the "Welcome Reception?" For example, WHEN the WELCOME RECEPTION happens at the hotel the first day when everyone arrives at the assigned hotel in Sydney? Is it during the evening and meal is provided? Or is it just a few moments in the afternoon and very informal?

     

    Question #5: Can you tell me about the "Sydney City Tour"? I believe it is by motorcoach and about 4 hours long. What time of day did you have this tour? Were there stops along the way?

     

    Question #6: Is it necessary to request non-smoking rooms in the hotels? Princess info said you have to call and request this and it cannot be guaranteed. Was there an issue with this at all?

     

    Question #7: Did you take a ferry ride through Sydney Harbor? If so, do you have any advice or recommendations?

     

    Thank you for your time, Princess Cruises Fann!

    Sincerely,

    Kathy

     

     

     

     

  16. 8 minutes ago, arxcards said:

    Nothing much to do except wait and hope for a response.

     

    By posting the member name in that format, they should get an email notification that they have been mentioned in this topic, along with a link to find it.

     

    Thank you! Most helpful!
    Fingers crossed.🤞🏻 My husband and I and our traveling companions have several questions. And i know that there are tours after us later in the year, and those CC members are all tuning in as well hoping for clarifications on several fronts.

    • Like 2
  17. "Sorry to say, there aren't many down here that would specifically do that tour. "

    Yes, and that is why I asked. I wondered if Hogbay's comment was from experience, which is what I am looking for.

     

    I am dismayed that you as an Australian have not heard of our tour group. Sigh. Chalk up another question about this whole tour....

     

    I still have the same questions....can I take a wheeled carry for the MOTORCOACH portions, and can I also take a personal item like a purse onboard the flights besides the carry on that is allowed at 15#..... 

  18. 4 hours ago, skynight said:

    "They are allowing us one 30" suitcase to take along on the land tour, but not to actually be placed in the belly of the planes. Instead the information I have read is that our larger pieces of luggage will go by motorcoach from one city to another and be available to us by evening at the hotels." 

    I would check again. These are very long flights, about 4 hours from Sydney to Uluru, 4 to 5 hours from Cairns back to Sydney. I remember we had a small plane with a stop in Alice Springs to get from Uluru to Darwin. The flight from Darwin to Cairns was maybe 3 hours. Maybe I'm wrong but I don't see how it is possible that luggage will be ground transported between these locations. Just to drive from Sydney to Uluru will take maybe 30/35 hours non stop. Darwin to Cairns is about a 30 hour drive.

    It was a while ago but I remember that we each had one normal 30 inch suitcase. This suitcase was provided to the tour group. We did not see this on our land tour. It was in our cabin when we boarded the ship in Sydney. On our 8 day tour we each had one 22 inch wheeled suitcase and one daypack. The wheeled suitcase was checked by the airline. The day pack was weighed and we carried it on board. Our daypacks weighed under 10lbs each, if I remember correctly maybe around 7/8lbs. 

     

    skynight, I absolutely agree with you! I checked again. It sounds ridiculous that if the flights are 3 - 5 hours, how long would it take to get luggage by motorcoach?

    BUT--here's the quote from the "Luggage" section of Princess' Land Tours in Australia:

    "All Princess cruisetours include our hassle-free luggage handling service every step of the way. During the land portion or your vacation, your luggage will be transported via motorcoach or by truck and delivered to your hotel room."

    That is just part of our frustration with the "directions/advice" given for this land tour. It's confusing, incomplete and often nonsensical. 

     

    One CC poster --Princess Cruises Fans--has posted that they took this trip in Jan 2023. Does anyone know how one might contact this fellow CC poster? I am really hoping he will check in on this post and help with some answers for us here. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

  19. So your opinion is that we CAN take wheeled carry ons to the motor coaches as they will be stored below?

     

    They are allowing us one 30" suitcase to take along on the land tour, but not to actually be placed in the belly of the planes. Instead the information I have read is that our larger pieces of luggage will go by motorcoach from one city to another and be available to us by evening at the hotels. 

    We are also allowed to leave one 30" suitcase behind in Sydney, and that one will appear onboard the ship in our cabin. 

     

    Besides your one soft day pack and the 22 inch wheeled suitcase, were you allowed to carry onto the planes a personal item like a purse?

     

    Thank you for your time.

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