Princess Announces Its 2021-22 Australian Season!

[NSWP]

Great support from Princess, that is why I always booked direct with Princess, so flexible.

[OzKiwiJJ]

31 minutes ago, NSWP said:

Great support from Princess, that is why I always booked direct with Princess, so flexible.

Yes, they are usually very good, especially if you call in the morning and get a local support person.

[GUT2407]

Had great cruise planner, she left her replacements, were let’s just say less than impressive.

 

the great one knew what I valued, a couple of times refares without even being asked each time we lost stuff like wine, that she knew e wouldn’t use, but saved $$$$ also each time, she notified us straight away adding, “ If it is wrong let me know and I will get it back to the old booking” each time she was spot on, obviously she had listened, and I guess made notes, each call and got to know US.

[Rassa]

59 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Yes, they are usually very good, especially if you call in the morning and get a local support person.

 

I have a similar story.   Emailed Vacation Planner Thursday, she got back to me by email after 9 pm last night.   But I rang yesterday in the morning as you did and the support person was very, very helpful.   She extended my Goodwill Voucher and cancelled my January cruise and said I would get my money back in 48 hrs.   The vacation planner wants my must haves for booking when they open for Elites - think I will give her a miss.

 

I wonder if the 15th September will be as bad as the day last March when Princess released bookings for the Sapphire etc. - it was bedlam.

 

I think I will take my chances and try to hold or book online.   If the cheaper balconies are gone for the round Australia, I will just book a window cabin.  My second cruise booking probably won't be as difficult to book.  

[MMDown Under]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I have just had the most wonderful phone support call with Princess.

 

It didn't start off well though. I had received an email a couple of weeks ago informing me that I had been assigned to a new Vacation Planner. Normally I don't use one but thought I might try her out leading up to the new release next Tuesday. I rang the number ... "Our office is closed for the holiday...". OK, I guess that Vacation Planner is in the US, since it's a public holiday there. Scrap that idea! 

 

So I rang the usual Australian Princess support number and connected to the most wonderful person. 

 

My first request was simple, cancel the Hawaii/Tahiti cruise we have booked for September 2021 to free up the FCD for next Tuesday's bookings. That was quickly done.

 

My next request was a bit more complicated: 

We have a Sydney to Yokohama Pacific Princess cruise booked for April 2021 which may or may not happen. It was a BF guarantee booking, but booked as a base fare, not the new Plus fare. We'd also booked the flight home through EZair, a fantastically cheap business class flight with China Airlines via Taipei. The FCD I used for that booking expired 22 March.

I wanted to change to a selected BB cabin at the Plus fare, which wasn't easy because of the FCD and the flight, as it would have to be a new booking.

First she checked that the cheap flights were still available. They were and they were actually a bit cheaper.

Then she spent quite a while getting the FCD expiry date extended.

Then she created the new booking, at the new fare, and booked the flight, and cancelled the old booking.

Awesome service. I wish she was my Vacation Planner and I told her so. Unfortunately she only works two days a week for Princess.

Much to my annoyance I realised just after I'd hung up that I hadn't noted her name. Oh well, mystery Princess support lady, you are a star! 

Just make sure you phone on the same day you phoned this time and you may get her again.  

[LittleFish1976]

Does Princess normally do an Australia circumnavigation or is that something they've just put in for 2021-2022?

[GUT2407]

1 minute ago, LittleFish1976 said:

Does Princess normally do an Australia circumnavigation or is that something they've just put in for 2021-2022?

Normally do two (maybe more)  a year. We did it on Diamond a few years ago, possibly the best cruise I have ever done. 35 days of bliss.

[Roger88]

4 hours ago, NSWP said:

Great support from Princess, that is why I always booked direct with Princess, so flexible.

Princess is one of those "good guys" companies out there. And by the way, its only good with Princess. When you book directly with any other company - you can expect a good and in-time service for sure. It may be related to anything really 

[OzKiwiJJ]

2 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

Just make sure you phone on the same day you phoned this time and you may get her again.  

Yes, Tuesday mornings. I'd already thought of that.

 

If I have any problems trying to book online next Tuesday I'll definitely be phoning.

[LittleFish1976]

31 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

Normally do two (maybe more)  a year. We did it on Diamond a few years ago, possibly the best cruise I have ever done. 35 days of bliss.

Thanks, Mr Gut for the info! Well, that is very exciting - I'd love to see the whole of the Australian coastline and I can't see myself getting up to Darwin any other way. Sounds wonderful especially from rainy lockdown in Melbourne.

[OzKiwiJJ]

30 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

Normally do two (maybe more)  a year. We did it on Diamond a few years ago, possibly the best cruise I have ever done. 35 days of bliss.

The Round Australia cruises are normally only 28 days, apart from the last minute Sapphire one they offered then cancelled which was 30 days.

 

It's the Hawaii/Tahiti cruise that's 35 days, and there are usually two of those a year as well.

 

Typically they go:

Round Australia

Hawaii/Tahiti

World Cruise

Hawaii/Tahiti

Round Australia

with some overlap because they offer embarkations and disembarkations at Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland, which also means there maybe a few cabins offered as short cruises.

 

It looks like they're still following that pattern in 2022 but are only releasing up to the World Cruise. Coral Princess should be a great ship for those long itineraries. Nice and small like Sea but with more speciality restaurants. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

4 hours ago, Rassa said:

 

 

I wonder if the 15th September will be as bad as the day last March when Princess released bookings for the Sapphire etc. - it was bedlam.

 

I think I will take my chances and try to hold or book online.   If the cheaper balconies are gone for the round Australia, I will just book a window cabin.  My second cruise booking probably won't be as difficult to book.  

I'm thinking the same way. I hope it's not mayhem again. I don't think it will be though. Firstly the Sapphire bookings didn't have the Elite-only day, secondly I suspect some people won't risk booking yet, until they know for sure it will happen and especially if they don't have FCDs so have to pay a full deposit.

[GUT2407]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

The Round Australia cruises are normally only 28 days, apart from the last minute Sapphire one they offered then cancelled which was 30 days.

 

It's the Hawaii/Tahiti cruise that's 35 days, and there are usually two of those a year as well.

 

Typically they go:

Round Australia

Hawaii/Tahiti

World Cruise

Hawaii/Tahiti

Round Australia

with some overlap because they offer embarkations and disembarkations at Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland, which also means there maybe a few cabins offered as short cruises.

 

It looks like they're still following that pattern in 2022 but are only releasing up to the World Cruise. Coral Princess should be a great ship for those long itineraries. Nice and small like Sea but with more speciality restaurants. 

Ours included a few NZ ports, we went op the Qld Coast, across to Darwin, Bali, Down WA Coast across the bottom to Melb, over to NZ back to Sydney, had about 100 come and go at Darwin and Adelaide, they had sole packages that then included the Ghahn and probably about 600 change over at Perth, we enjoyed it so much that we nearly booked another while on board, indeed we had booked to do similar or Royal next year, but cancelled as I doubt it will go ahead anyway.

[OzKiwiJJ]

15 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

Ours included a few NZ ports, we went op the Qld Coast, across to Darwin, Bali, Down WA Coast across the bottom to Melb, over to NZ back to Sydney, had about 100 come and go at Darwin and Adelaide, they had sole packages that then included the Ghahn and probably about 600 change over at Perth, we enjoyed it so much that we nearly booked another while on board, indeed we had booked to do similar or Royal next year, but cancelled as I doubt it will go ahead anyway.

That would have been great. 35 days is a good length for a cruise. 😆

 

I wish the new itinerary was a 30 day one with the stop at Kangaroo Island like the cancelled Sapphire one did.

Edited September 8, 2020 by OzKiwiJJ

[GUT2407]

Just now, OzKiwiJJ said:

That would have been great. 35 days is a good length for a cruise. 😆

It was wonderful. The one we had booked on RCCL for next year was similar, 33 I think, but my back and Covid made us call it off, but still......

[GUT2407]

As best I recall.

Port Douglas

Darwin

Bali

Geraldton

Fremantle

Busselton

Adelaide

Melbourne

Nz Sounds

Port Chalmers
Akaroa (missed due to weather, still never been there)

Picton

Wellington 

Sydney

[OzKiwiJJ]

That's a good itinerary. I guess it was probably late in the year, getting to NZ around November?

[GUT2407]

3 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

That's a good itinerary. I guess it was probably late in the year, getting to NZ around November?

Yep left Sydney late October (23rd I think).

[LittleFish1976]

On 9/3/2020 at 6:10 PM, Kiwi_cruiser said:

Here is the link to the rest of the 2021/2022 itinerary's:

 

Princess 2021/2022 itinerary's >

 

http://static.cdn.responsys.net/i2/responsysimages/content/princessau/200903_Brox_AU_LRC.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1a_LMjNHL0qMcmcXeIGvALx7E1orBGto3obKfGFxlJn64gVQdau0N5AAM

 

Hi Kiwi Cruiser, do you happen to know whether the prices in this brochure are in US$? Judging by the price they list for the premium drinks package, I think they must be. If you could bring any clarity to that for me that's be great. I'm busy dreaming of possible escapes...

 

[Aus Traveller]

14 minutes ago, LittleFish1976 said:

 

Hi Kiwi Cruiser, do you happen to know whether the prices in this brochure are in US$? Judging by the price they list for the premium drinks package, I think they must be. If you could bring any clarity to that for me that's be great. I'm busy dreaming of possible escapes...

 

I am sure they are AUD. As usual the price includes fees and taxes as well as gratuities. Princess is offering two levels of fares - the higher one includes the premium drinks package and internet.

[NSWP]

12 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

I am sure they are AUD. As usual the price includes fees and taxes as well as gratuities. Princess is offering two levels of fares - the higher one includes the premium drinks package and internet.

Some of the pricing I have seen for these Princess two level fares, is not much different, only a very marginal increase in the higher one with internet and drinks package.  Perhaps the variance differs with different cruises.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Yes, AUD. The difference between the two fares appears to be around $46pp per day which is a very good price for a drinks package and internet.

 

We're going to book all our next lot of cruises under that deal. 

[Aus Traveller]

17 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Yes, AUD. The difference between the two fares appears to be around $46pp per day which is a very good price for a drinks package and internet.

 

We're going to book all our next lot of cruises under that deal. 

I agree that $46 per day is a good price, but it wouldn't be worth it for me. I have free internet with Princess anyway, and the most I drink is half a bottle of wine a day. I take my own when I can and pay the corkage.

 

I am looking at a couple of segments of the WC. These are expensive, even without the extra $46 per day.

Edited September 10, 2020 by Aus Traveller

[LittleFish1976]

45 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

I am sure they are AUD. As usual the price includes fees and taxes as well as gratuities. Princess is offering two levels of fares - the higher one includes the premium drinks package and internet.

 

16 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Yes, AUD. The difference between the two fares appears to be around $46pp per day which is a very good price for a drinks package and internet.

 

We're going to book all our next lot of cruises under that deal. 

Thanks very much for your input, Aus Traveller and OzKiwi - I see that you are correct. I got confused somehow by the different prices for drinks and stuff.

[LittleFish1976]

2 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

I agree that $46 per day is a good price, but it wouldn't be worth it for me. I have free internet with Princess anyway, and the most I drink is half a bottle of wine a day. I take my own when I can and pay the corkage.

 

I am looking at a couple of segments of the WC. These are expensive, even without the extra $46 per day.

i thought the prices looked quite high, too - haven't sailed with them before so don't have a point of reference.