lovedecruise

Yes, we will be arriving from NZ. Our last port will be Dunedin and then we have a day in the Sounds before 2 sea days and arrival at Athol Bay. Do you think we will have to fill out the complete declaration form or just the bio security section? Guess it will all have to be redone the next day when we dock and disembark, as there may be people who don’t get off on that tendering day.

You’ll love Hobbiton. Hope you have a wonderful time. They have recently modified it so I think it’s more interactive. They have added a “Hobbit Hole” you can venture into. Should look very pretty if the flowers are all out. I do have a query for you. I have heard conflicting reports re the dining scenario. We booked late so we’re given the set time of 6pm. We would have preferred “anytime” as I have digestive issues and need to eat early. The special needs team at Celebrity suggested I approach the powers that be when we board and see what they can do as there isn’t even a wait list for “anytime”. However, I read on these boards that these dining times don’t exist and “anytime” dining is for everyone. Can you please confirm either way. If we can do “anytime”, I won’t need to get a letter from my Dr confirming my condition. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

How does the inspection work then, if the ship berths at Athol Bay, after coming from NZ? Passengers are loaded onto the tenders and could be wearing the shoes they wore on farm visits etc. The ship then moves to the OPT for the night and passengers disembark the next day. By then the shoes have already been worn on Australian soil, or are you required to make a declaration before tendering into the Opera House?

Hi DavyWavey, I am really enjoying your posts. Are you in Tauranga tomorrow? The Edge is due in according to the port schedule. We will be waving out to you from the shore. We are sailing on this beautiful ship in less than 4 weeks and we just have to come and check her out. Have a great day in our beautiful city. Just hoping the weather behaves for you.

What if you looked over the balcony railing and looked out. Just wondering if they park the window washing equipment on the port aft side. I know it is on both starboard forward and aft probably due to the magic carpet. Thanks

Did you have any window washing equipment obstructing your view, either looking forward or back? Thanks

We love having a balcony, which is why we were delighted this room became available. We find it is a lovely space to escape to if we need some peace. We also like having our breakfast out there but after seeing how small they are, I wonder how possible that will be. I'm sure we'll make it work. Many thanks for your help. 4 weeks and counting ........

Thank you Georgia-Peaches for the great photos. That window washing equipment looks quite close or is it just the angle the photo was taken? Do you think you would see it if you were sitting down on the balcony? Thanks

Yes, we like a lot of light as well. As you say, it’s what you get used to. I know the balcony is small but we intend to put it to good use. It will be lovely to have somewhere to sit in the fresh air and listen to the waves. Many thanks for the information.

Thank you so much Crumbled. I really appreciate your pictures and information. We are onboard in about 4 weeks time. Did you find the room had enough light due to the porthole shape? Being a summer cruise around New Zealand, we think we will appreciate having some shade on the balcony. We only have one tender port and that is Sydney harbour where we will be anchored for a day. We always get up early when sailing into Sydney so the anchor shouldn’t be a problem. Again, many thanks.

Hi Crumbled, Thank you for the photo from Stateroom 8111. We booked late and this room became available on Celebrity Edge so we snatched it up. Do you have any more photos of this room you may be able to share? Can you please tell us if the bed is near the bathroom or balcony? Did you find the room quiet? Any other thoughts on 8111? Many thanks for your help. If anyone else has been in this room and can comment, your thoughts would be most welcome.

Just recently we were in L101, crossing from NZ to SYD. We loved the big balcony and cabin. Very spacious and so convenient. Would book again in a heartbeat.

After looking at a video clip, we have noticed some of the C1 staterooms have a large overhang on the upper decks. Has anyone who has stayed in these rooms noticed any negative impact from these large overhangs? Are the rooms darker due to the light being blocked? Many thanks for your thoughts.

Sorry, I forgot to mention, the Stateroom I am looking at, 11267, is on the Celebrity Edge. Thanks

Could anyone please confirm whether the bed is next to the window or the bathroom in this stateroom? The deck plans led me to believe it was next to the bathroom but I have just discovered photos taken in 2018 on cruise deck plans that show it as being next to the window. Has anyone stayed in this room and can confirm either way? Many thanks. PS. I don't know whether the rooms have been reconfigured since 2018. Maybe someone would know.

Do you have to use the 90 minutes in one session or can you spread it over your cruise? Thanks

Has anyone stayed aboard overnight in Sydney Harbour? We are looking at a Celebrity Edge cruise and it ends in Sydney with guests having one day and one night onboard before disembarking. It is a Saturday night so could you expect quite a bit of noise from the nightclubs, and restaurants around the Opera House? How late do the ferries run? Would they have a time you have to be back on board or could you stay out exploring Sydney as long as you like? Would just like to hear of other's experiences. Thanks

I would never book an Aqua guarantee cabin on the Solstice class ships as there was the possibility of being placed under the sundeck, pool etc. What are your thoughts on the Edge class Aqua rooms? Are there any really bad locations or things we should be aware of? I think most of them are on Deck 9 and 10 so no problems regarding the sundeck. Thank you

Thanks for your replies. Just have an update and are impressed that Princess did refund our lost day, our port fees and taxes and also a day of prepaid gratuities. These gratuities weren’t part of a package. We were surprised to receive it as we had been told differently by a crew member at guest services. We know they probably weren’t obliged to refund but it was a lovely gesture of goodwill. Good on you Princess.

Thanks for your reply. Has never happened to us before so just wondered what the policy was as we were rather surprised too.

Hi, what is the procedure if you miss a day of your cruise due to not being able to board the ship? This was caused by bad weather and the ship couldn’t make it into Port. To compensate for the missed day and night Princess gave us a token goodwill non refundable credit to cover extra expenses, refunded some of the Government Port tax and gave a missed day refund to cover the portion of the cruise we missed. As our crew appreciation wasn’t included in our fare, we prepaid the gratuities before we boarded. Should we be entitled to a refund for the missed day if it was due to a weather event? We asked at Guest services but she just said no, because it was out of their control. We don’t mind the crew getting the extra $$$ but is this the norm?

Thank you. Have had notification that we will now embark tomorrow between 12 and 3.00 pm. Looks like the weather will be improving. Hopefully the seas won’t be as rough either.

We are just waiting for word from Princess on what we are to do. We’re meant to board between 12.30 - 3.00 pm but the ship is still out in the harbour. On the port website it is scheduled to berth at 7 pm. As we are driving to the port we have been instructed to wait but we are about four hours away. The weather is terrible here so don’t want to drive thru it in the dark. They have cancelled Tauranga visit and are spending an extra night in Auckland. Maybe they’ll let us board tomorrow. Even if they get in at 7 pm they still have to disembark passengers and get the rooms ready. It will be a rocky ride for sure.

Hi, as we have previously sailed on cruises leaving Australia or NZ, we have had our gratuities included in the fare and have tipped those we felt deserved it at the end of the cruise. On this cruise, however, we have a daily gratuity to pay that is added to our onboard account. This is because the cruise is en route to Australia from the US, sailing through NZ, where we join the cruise. When I was speaking to our Princess Cruise Planner, I was rather surprised when he said we could just take the tips off as that is what some Australians and NZ's do, and then tip those who deserved it at the end of the cruise. The way he said it, it sounded as though this was almost the norm. To those out there in Australia and NZ, what did you do when you found yourself in this situation? I know tipping is a personal decision but I just wondered what others thought.

Cruises based in Australia seem to have the gratuities included in the fares. From experience this applies to Princess and Celebrity cruises. I’m not sure about other cruise lines.