lovedecruise

Thank you for your answers. The ship is on its way from LA and is coming down under for the summer season. It will pass through Auckland, where we will pick it up, for the last five days of the cruise, on its way to Sydney. It is still in US currency etc but when it sails out of Sydney later that afternoon, there won't be daily gratuities added to the folio and the currency on board will be Australian.

Hi, because I am from NZ and we don’t have much of a tipping culture down under, our gratuities have always been included in the fare when we have sailed out of Australia or NZ. This time round, the ship is repositioning to Aust from the USA so we have a daily rate of $16 pp to pay. It is a five night cruise but when I multiply this amount by 5 and adjust the exchange rate, it appears we are paying less if we prepay before boarding. Is it normal to pay less if you pay before boarding rather than at the end of your cruise?

We have a short 5 night cruise coming up on the Majestic. Have no packages. Can we just pay $5 per delivery if we require room service or do we have to buy the Oceans Now access if we want to order using the app? Until we get on board, we are not sure if we’ll even use room service. Thought we would just “pay as you go”. If we only wanted to try it once or twice, paying $5 per delivery would be more cost effective but would we only be able to do phone orders?

Thank you for that thought. I never considered that any outbreak might be over. I guess eating at the restaurants or ordering room service would also be safer options. We don’t want to shut ourselves away, just want to be vigilant and avoid crowded areas.

Yes, I have to admit the more I think about it, the more concerned I am. It's not so much the actual covid, it's the consequences at the end of the cruise. I'm just worried if we tested positive on arrival in Sydney, we wouldn't be able to fly home to NZ. We have a disabled daughter in care so need to get back for her and then we'd have to change flights, find accommodation etc. This is supposed to be a break from caregiving duties, but it's not sounding like a very relaxing holiday if we're forever worried about covid and having to mask up all the time. I don't think we would have booked had we realised this was a repositioning cruise. We have a 10-day cooling down period so maybe we should reconsider. Decisions, decisions, decisions!!!!

See you will you be embarking on the Majestic, as we disembark. Enjoy your cruise. We’re hoping the trip across the Tasman is not too rough as we have a front facing cabin.

Yes, you are right, thank you. What concerns me more now than the extra gratuities, is discovering the cruise was a 29-night repositioning. We would pick it up on the last 5 days. Just wonder if Covid will have been incubating on board for all that time as there have been a fair number of sea days. Also, we did something similar in the past with Diamond Princess and joined a cruise mid-way in Auckland. It was such a shambles checking in as no one seemed to take responsibility for organizing it. A small group of us sat around for ages just waiting. When we did finally get on board, we had to take our own bags to our cabins and I must say we felt a bit like "gate crashers". It will probably be the same for this cruise as everyone will have been on board for at least three weeks. Also hope they restock with some fresh fruit and vegetables in Auckland as they will probably be pretty low on supplies after all that time at sea.

Hi, I haven't sailed since before Covid and have just booked a cruise on Majestic Princess, Auckland to Sydney. From previous sailings on both Princess and Celebrity, the gratuities have been included in the fare, giving cruisers the option to give extra if they so desired. I was surprised to see on my booking form that we have two charges for gratuities at $16 per day per person. As they have given us a few OBC in US$, I'm assuming this is in $US as well. All our past cruises out of Australia and NZ have been in A$. Is this new with Princess Cruises or have they made a mistake?

Can anyone please offer the pros and cons of any of these staterooms on the Majestic Princess? I don't know much about the layout of this ship but there is talk on a previous thread that there could be a crew area below, which could generate some noise. Would you hear noise from the theatre? Many thanks

I don't think it is because we are in NZ as when checking prices previously on the website, the dates have all been correct. Then all of a sudden the dates change. As the Celebrity consultant said, " An IT glitch".

Just checked the website for updates on cruise prices for a cruise we hope to book. Was surprised to see the sailing date and arrival back in port had been brought forward by a day. I had already booked land accommodation but knew this was able to be canceled, but wondered about those who had booked flights and non-refundable accommodation. Decided to check with Celebrity, and they said it was an IT glitch. The original sailing dates apply. Would be a shame if someone decided to book through the website and booked the (wrong) dates that are displayed, then went ahead with flights and accommodation bookings based on these dates. Could be pretty expensive/inconvenient if they had to change flights etc. because Celebrity had the wrong dates displayed. Guess that is why it is important to check with a TA or with a Celebrity agent to make sure you are booking the correct dates!

Hi, We are hoping to cruise on Celebrity Edge in March 2024 but still have a few things to get sorted before we commit to the sailing. We have been checking the stateroom inventory regularly and nothing has been changing that much at all, with still plenty of choice available. We have noticed now, however, that the only dining option in the MDR is for the late sitting of 8.30 pm and you have to add your name to a waitlist if you want either of the other two options. Due to my bad digestive problems, eating at this late time is just not an option, and I don't want to commit to eating in the buffet every night. If we put our name on a waitlist, are we likely to get the time we request? Has anyone else had an experience where they weren't able to eat at their preferred time? Is there any way we can guarantee an earlier allocated time? Our first preference would be select dining. Many thanks for your help

Thank you.

Does anyone know if the passengers off the Pacific Explorer were able to make it onto Norfolk Island today, (31st August)?

Does anyone know if the passengers off the Pacific Explorer were able to get into Norfolk Island today, (31st August)?

Yes, we are departing New Zealand. This country is beginning to get into the Halloween occasion in a bigger way now, but as I said before, it's not my thing. Just don't want it in my face wherever I go on the ship.

Hi, We are looking at a short cruise for 5 nights from 30th October to 4th November. We are not Halloween fans at all but have just noted this is a Halloween cruise. How much will Halloween "take over" the ship? Will it be in our faces at every turn or will there be spaces where we can escape all the hype? Will the decorations come down on the 1st of November or are they likely to keep them up til the end of the cruise on the 4th? We don't want to be killjoys but this is just not our thing. Unfortunately, there isn't an alternative cruise we can take. Thank you.

Can anyone please tell me if we should be concerned with noise generated from the Sunset Bar if we are in an aft cabin on the higher decks? Do they have a band playing there in the evening, and if so, do they play late? Also, if on the starboard side of the ship, are you likely to get noise from the Magic Carpet at night? Many thanks for your help.

Could someone please confirm if this stateroom has the bed next to the balcony? I have checked the information spreadsheet and tried to work it out from that. I have also used the deck plans and realize that sometimes those little "pushout" sections eg 11264, which usually indicates the bed is nearer the bathroom, aren't always accurate. Any other information on this stateroom would be much appreciated. Many thanks.

I live in Tauranga and find it a very pretty harbour to sail in/out off. You will dock at Mt Maunganui and from there, have easy access to the harbour beach/ocean beach and shops. Walking out of the wharf area will take you to a board walk which will then take you to the iconic "Mount" which you can walk around, or if feeling more energetic, you can find trails leading to the top for magnificent views. If this isn't your thing, you can catch a tour through to Rotorua, with the focus being on our Maori culture. There also used to be tours to Hobbiton but I'm not sure if they are still running due to work being done there at the moment. Another idea for Picton, is the Marlborough Flyer which is a steam train that travels through from Picton to Blenheim. It is an enjoyable ride and you get to spend a decent amount of time in Blenheim. We booked directly with the company as we knew, having ship folk on board as well, there would be no problems in getting back in time for sailing. In Dunedin, we really enjoyed the Early Settler's Museum, which was free and we always enjoy a visit to Te Papa Museum in Wellington. If you're into politics, there is a free tour through the Parliament. Hope you enjoy your trip.

Thank you for suggesting that. Maybe I will ask a similar question on the Aust/NZ board to see if anyone has had any issues when sailing Celebrity down under. Thank you for your help.

I have just read in the FAQ section under "Items prohibited", that all alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are not allowed to be brought on board. Sometimes when we are in Port, we like to buy cans of our favourite soft drink, (not stocked on board), and bring it back on the ship. Does anyone know if this rule also applies to bottled water? What Not to Pack? Firearms & Ammunition, including realistic replicas. *Sharp Objects, including knives and scissors. Illegal Drugs & Substances **Aerial Drones Candles & Incense ***Coffee Makers, Clothes Irons, & Hot Plates Baseball Bats, Hockey Sticks, Cricket Bats, Bows & Arrows Skateboards & Surfboards Martial Arts Gear Self-Defense Gear, including handcuffs, pepper spray, night sticks. Flammable Liquids and Explosives, including lighter fluid and fireworks. HAM Radios Hookahs & Water Hookah Pipes. Electrical Extension Cords Dangerous Chemicals, including bleach and paint. ****Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Beverages Potentially hazardous food and/or food that requires refrigeration.

What was the stateroom number? Did you have any obstruction from the window washer? Was the bed by the bathroom or balcony? Thanks.

Do you think being next to a firewall would dampen some of the noise from the cabin next door?

Being noise sensitive, could you please tell me, how much noise to expect when the windows and blinds are being deployed in the IV rooms? I have read that some have also noticed the noise from adjoining staterooms when other passengers are lowering or raising their windows/blinds. Has anyone found this to be intrusive? I also read that someone could hear the bathroom doors closing above and in the surrounding rooms as they have a very powerful magnet. Again, has anyone found this intrusive? Many thanks for your help.