World Cruise 2023 - Occasionally Live from the Island Princess

[cruzsnooze]

15 hours ago, Arya3 said:

@cruzsnooze

We were on the Island Princess in December and there were about 4 thermal tike beds.

Thanks, I was hoping they has some. 

[Denali2003]

Do they have the English Pub Lunch any other time on the ship?  Either the buffet or in another venue?  Also, do they have different theme nights in the Horizon Court?  Thank you  

[We_like_to_cruise]

Valentine’s Day

 

In the morning there was a very well attended renewal of vows ceremony in the Princess Plaza.  Cole gave a nice thought-provoking speech about relationships and love.  The Captain read the renewal of vows to the assembled.   The Princess Harmony Choir sang some romantic songs and musicians played appropriate music. 

 

The ship was decorated all around with red hearts and cupids.

 

Dinner was valentine themed and there were some available up-charge menu items.  Pictured is the heart shaped brioche and the beef tournedos  and shrimp.

A large decorated cake greeted the MDR diners. (Not edible, built on a plastic base!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 17, 2023 by We_like_to_cruise
e

[We_like_to_cruise]

Melbourne, Australia Part One

 

Passengers are advised we all must attend a mandatory passport inspection and there needs to be a zero count on the ship.  So everyone off.  Assigned times are provided to those with ship excursions and private arrangements  as well as those who wish to ultimately stay on board.

 

Our early disembarkation is painless, there was no line and the Border Force agent simply glanced at our passports and paperwork.  However, she was very interested in hearing about the world cruise!

 

A free shuttle bus was provided into downtown Melbourne, about 20 minutes away.  Unfortunately there was no signage, no clearly defined lines and ultimately chaos as boarding the bus was attempted.  Princess needs to work on that.  (The return trip was much less dramatic).

 

We walked along the Yarra River to head towards the Royal Botanic Gardens.  When one member of the local rowing club saw me watching them and taking pictures he asked if I wanted to row with them.  He was serious.  Further questioning revealed they would be out for a couple of hours, so I demurred. 

 

Thank you for the offer!

 

The gardens were beautiful and very large so we spent a few hours walking through and admiring them. 

 

We walked to the Shrine of Remembrance, one of the largest war memorials in Australia, paid our respects, and then continued onto some of the city “laneways”.  These are smallish streets with restaurants and shopping.  Some were pedestrian only.

 

When we passed the flagship H&M store in the iconic Melbourne GPO building we took a peek inside.  Hmm, “New Jersey, United States” t shirts on sale.  How unusual.  🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 17, 2023 by We_like_to_cruise
e

[We_like_to_cruise]

Melbourne, Australia  Part Two

 

We walked and walked through the CBD (City Business District) and then onward to Queen Victoria Market, a huge indoor/outdoor market.  The produce section had fruits and veggies not found in our local Publix supermarket.  Nashies? Wombok?

 

Some fresh figs and cold fruit juices refresh us

.

Around the corner we bump into an Aldi store and are amused that the Vegemite is right next to the “American Style Peanut Butter”.  Two very different spreads!

 

We hop on one of the free Melbourne City Circle trams and get off at Parliament House.  Sadly the next tour is in two hours, so we head to the nearby Old Treasury Building. 

 

The Old Treasury Building is one of the finest examples of 19^th century buildings in all of Australia.  Inside is a lovely free self-guided history museum. The basement holds bluestone vaults originally designed to hold stockpiles of gold from the gold rush of the 1800s that transformed Melbourne.  

 

By late in the afternoon the temperatures are in the mid 90’s although not quite as humid as Florida. 

 

Back onboard a cool breeze on the balcony refreshes as we watch a jet-ski perform pirouettes by the beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 17, 2023 by We_like_to_cruise
e

[We_like_to_cruise]

On 2/13/2023 at 1:36 PM, chubbypiggy said:

 

Bay of Islands will be one of our ports on our upcoming April cruise. 

 

Have a few questions:

1.  You mentioned there are free shuttles from the tender pier to Paihia, free shuttles also 

      available from Paihia back to tender pier?

2.  Did the ferry, restaurants, and shops take credit cards or you got some NZD?

3.  How much time you spent in Russell?  We are thinking of doing the same thing you did.

     Take ferry to Russell first, check out the town, then ferry back to Paihia, check out Paihia.

     Our port stop is from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.  Would like to be at tender pier by 4:30 p.m. at the

     latest.  Will we have enough time to do both Russell and Paihia?

4.  Did you happen to see any bank ATM by the pier?

 

Thank you.

 

1.  Yes, the free shuttle is in both directions.

2.  The restaurants and shops we made purchases from all took credit cards (including the crafts fair.   But, not all vendors at the fair may take cc).

3.  We were in Russell for about two hours.  About half the time was walking up to Flagstaff Hill.

4.  No, did not see any ATMs but did not look.  I would guess they are more likely to be in Paihia and not at Waitangi Port,

[We_like_to_cruise]

On 2/14/2023 at 9:18 AM, cruzsnooze said:

Been following your lovely blog. The pictures are fabulous. I will be on the Island later this year for a 28 day cruise. Can you tell me if there is a thermal suite. I love those hot tile beds and the thermal suite is included in full suite cabins. 

 

Sorry, I inquired about this but did not get an answer that I am confident about.  Will try to do some more research for you.

[We_like_to_cruise]

On 2/16/2023 at 9:10 AM, Denali2003 said:

Do they have the English Pub Lunch any other time on the ship?  Either the buffet or in another venue?  Also, do they have different theme nights in the Horizon Court?  Thank you  

 

The Pub Lunch has been offered a few times in one of the specialty restaurants.  There are different food theme nights posted in the patter for the Horizon Court.

[jwattle]

On 2/13/2023 at 12:33 AM, Busy Mum said:

I was just concerned you had visited our shores and not enjoyed yourself, no problems at all I was not offended.  You really must visit us one day and explore our great BIG country, you will love it.  Hubby and I have visited your amazing Hawaii, both by cruising there and land touring and we loved every minute of it, you certainly live a magical part of the world.  We both would love to travel there again; we certainly wouldn't hesitate for a minute!!  Stay safe and well cr8tiv1.  Vicki. 🙂 

Looking forward to seeing your wonderful country in November, three days in Sydney, 20 on the Majestic Princess and then to Noumea for five. Thank you for the welcoming attitude!🤗

[trinitygirl]

So cool you are here in my city!  Glad you had a lovely day!  

[chubbypiggy]

14 hours ago, We_like_to_cruise said:

 

1.  Yes, the free shuttle is in both directions.

2.  The restaurants and shops we made purchases from all took credit cards (including the crafts fair.   But, not all vendors at the fair may take cc).

3.  We were in Russell for about two hours.  About half the time was walking up to Flagstaff Hill.

4.  No, did not see any ATMs but did not look.  I would guess they are more likely to be in Paihia and not at Waitangi Port,

Thank you.  Sounds like not much to see/do in Russell; maybe we will skip it and just hang out in Paihia.

[Denali2003]

Hello.  Do you have any photos of your meals?  What is your opinion of the quality of food?  Do you have a photo of the pastry display that they have at Good Spirits in the morning?  Thank you so very much for your posts, photos, and answering peoples questions.  

[Busy Mum]

On 2/17/2023 at 3:52 PM, jwattle said:

Looking forward to seeing your wonderful country in November, three days in Sydney, 20 on the Majestic Princess and then to Noumea for five. Thank you for the welcoming attitude!🤗

Hi jwattle, wishing you a wonderful time 'downunder'!   I'm sure you will have a great time, stay well and safe travels.  Vicki. 🙂  

[We_like_to_cruise]

On 2/17/2023 at 1:41 AM, trinitygirl said:

So cool you are here in my city!  Glad you had a lovely day!  

Yes, we really did like Melbourne !

Lovely city and very friendly people.

🙂

[We_like_to_cruise]

Sydney, Australia

 

The outdoor decks were crowded very early in the morning to view the sail in to Sydney, Australia’s oldest and largest city.  As the skies brightened and we entered the harbor, the Opera House and the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge came into view.  The ship slowly made its way to the pier and by 6:15 am the sounds of the Princess Harmony Choir filled the air.  They were dubbed the “Bathrobe Brigade” as they were indeed all wearing Princess bathrobes for this early morning concert.  The choir had assembled on the bandstand on Lido Deck and director David Crathorne led them in song. 

 

We were docked at the Ocean Pacific Terminal at Circular Quay, so walked right off the ship into the terminal.  Turning to our right we made our way uphill to The Rocks part of town with its sandstone cliffs and then uphill to the Sydney Observatory Hill for sweeping views of the harbor and the city.

 

Re-tracing our steps we traverse the harbor front with its many ferry wharves.  We visit the Sydney Opera House for some close up pictures and continue onward to the Royal Botanic Gardens.  When we reach Hyde Park we visit St. Mary’s Cathedral at one end and the ANZAC War Memorial at the other as well as the Archibald Fountain in between.  The cathedral is immense – some sections of pews had wall mounted monitors so congregants could see the main altar.

 

We wandered past the Sydney Tower and then through Chinatown and Paddy’s Market, but too early for lunch.

 

One of our goals was to also get to Bondi Beach so we make our way back to the ship to change into swim suits and get some towels.  On the way we spend some time browsing in the elegant Queen Victoria Building with its multiple levels of posh shops.

 

We grab a light lunch at the ship, stock up on water and sunscreen and then walk to an adjacent wharf.  Our research had shown that we could take a ferry to Watson’s Bay and then pick up a bus to Bondi Beach.  We discuss our plan with a friendly young man at the wharf and he talks us out of it.  He felt it would be much more time efficient if we instead took a bus on the next block directly to the beach.  There would be frequent buses to the beach today as it was the weekend. 

 

The urban transit system (buses, light rail, ferry) use either an Opal card which you can add money to, or any modern contactless credit card.  So we waited a few minutes for the next bus and watched fellow passengers “tap in” and we did the same.  Easy peasy.

 

The bus took about 45 minutes, was air conditioned and not crowded and we easily got a seat.  We got a tour of some of the local neighborhoods traveling the city. 

As we went down the hill of a beachside neighborhood, the large beach (over ½ mile long) was spread out right in front of us.  It was jammed with people on this beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon.

 

We “tapped off” as we exited the bus and made our way through the mass of sun worshipers, surfers and swimmers.  It would be an exaggeration to call some of the attire “swim suits” they were so tiny.  (Both women and men!)

 

It was lovely and relaxing and the water was refreshing.  Unfortunately after a while dark clouds started to appear.  We were washing up at the restroom when a boom of thunder shook the beach.  Serendipitously our bus home had just pulled up so we boarded and got a seat.  At that point we were at the opposite end of the beach than where we originally first got off the bus.  By the time we got to that bus stop the bus was completely full and packed and many were forced to wait for the next bus.

 

We get alerts from our credit card for international purchases.  The bus ride charge was $0.69!  (That can’t be right, can it??)

 

Once back at the ship we took a long shower, grazed in the Horizon Court and then decided to watch the sail-away from the comfort of our balcony.

 

Feet up on our foot rests, we sipped some wine and rested.  Nature put on a show for us with gigantic bolts of lightning and terrifying crashes of thunder.  Not much rain, though. 

 

Well, that eventually subsided, but – we were surprised by a totally unexpected and awesome fireworks display over the Sydney Opera House.  It lasted about fifteen minutes or so and we could hear all of our neighbors oohing and ahhing.  We all cheered and applauded at the end.

 

 A splendid ending for a fantastic visit to Sydney.

 

(Unfortunately I still cannot access any of my pictures of the rest of our day in Sydney).  😞

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 21, 2023 by We_like_to_cruise
e

[We_like_to_cruise]

Technical issues

 

Darn.  My smartphone is acting up and I can’t get access to my pix.  (It is also acting wacky in some other ways).  Sadly this might affect the future progress of this report. I will keep you informed.

 

This post was supposed to come before the Sydney post, but never made it to this page.

Edited February 21, 2023 by We_like_to_cruise

[mrstmaxx]

thank you again for all your postings!!  We are really enjoying 'traveling' with you.  And thank you again for providing info on your Deluxe Balcony.  It was very helpful for us.   

 

So now I have another question - how was the VISA process?  This is the one thing I'm a bit anxious about when we do the WC next year.    Thank you for any guidance/info.

[RNCheryl]

Love the Princess Choir and its performances!

 

[rich_cathybrock]

On 1/11/2023 at 12:40 AM, stki said:

Thanks for doing this. We will be following along as we are on the World Cruise in June from Sydney on the Coral Princess

 

Cheers

 

Tanya

Well Tanya, a pleasure to find you here!  We are not so lucky as you, but we ARE going to be on a very short segment of this WC from Southampton to Rome this year so we are reading every page!

 

See you all in NY when you get here, and MANY THANKS to the OP for the great overview of life on the Island Princess!  I hope only to live long enough to do one of these some day! 😀

[shamrockace]

On 2/12/2023 at 11:10 PM, shamrockace said:

I’m sorry you are not enjoying your cruise. We are also on this cruise and are having the time of our lives. The captain is keeping us safe, which I appreciate. I wish there was more food selections, but service is awesome. Everyone works so hard. 

We have had grumpy old men sit at the end of the row of empty seats in the theater and then act put-out when someone asks to go in that row. Really?  I refuse to let some of the grumpy people ruin our trip, so I just figure they are having a bad day and wish them well.  We saved too long to let them ruin our once in a lifetime trip. 
 

staff and crew are wonderful on this ship and we are having so much fun. Not to steal your thread but I thought some might enjoy pictures of other adventures. 

 

Edited February 21, 2023 by shamrockace
Add pictures

[We_like_to_cruise]

On 2/21/2023 at 12:48 PM, mrstmaxx said:

thank you again for all your postings!!  We are really enjoying 'traveling' with you.  And thank you again for providing info on your Deluxe Balcony.  It was very helpful for us.   

 

So now I have another question - how was the VISA process?  This is the one thing I'm a bit anxious about when we do the WC next year.    Thank you for any guidance/info.

 

Interesting that you mention the VISAs.  Pre-boarding we were told we had to get an eTA for both New Zealand as well as Australia.  So far no one anywhere (including Princess) has asked us anything about it or even proof that we did get it.

[We_like_to_cruise]

Moreton Island, Australia

 

Transferring from the ship to the tender is very challenging as the tender was banging up against the ship with every wave.  Guests hang on to each other during boarding and the staff are very careful to monitor each person’s entry.  The choppy ride takes about 20 minutes.  Guess we don’t need to pay for a banana boat ride onshore!

 

We disembark the tender and are now guests of the Tangalooma Island Resort.  There are numerous aquatic activities to purchase even if you did not have a pre-booked shore excursion.  Most are here are to simply go to the beach, although other options included snorkeling, Segway tours, 4wd vehicles, stand up paddle boarding, swimming in the pools and boat rides.  And, since the island is over 90% sand you can even go sand tobogganing on one of the giant sand dunes.

 

The resort is popular for residents of Brisbane, as it is only a bit over an hour away by ferry.  However, numerous announcements on the ship advised us we were forbidden to take the ferry to Brisbane.  (Moreton Island was not considered an official port).

 

The beach is large and clean and we scope out a mixed sun/shade spot for a few hours of sunbathing and swimming. 

 

Later we walk about half a mile down the beach to the “Tangalooma Wrecks”, a popular spot for snorkeling.  Over a dozen vessels were intentionally sunk in the waters about 50 years ago and they are now home to coral and numerous species of fish.  Although you can swim there directly from the beach, the current can be strong so a guided snorkeling excursion was recommended.

 

We return to the tender dock along an uphill trail in the sand for some views and pictures.  Along the way we pass some colorful plants and flowers.

 

The resort had a restaurant and bar but unlike Princess Cay (which this port was likened to) there was no included barbecue / lunch / drinks.

 

Our return tender ride was uneventful in the much calmer seas. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 22, 2023 by We_like_to_cruise

[caribill]

2 hours ago, We_like_to_cruise said:

 

Interesting that you mention the VISAs.  Pre-boarding we were told we had to get an eTA for both New Zealand as well as Australia.  So far no one anywhere (including Princess) has asked us anything about it or even proof that we did get it.

 

No need to have them ask.

 

Computer systems have it tied to your passport number.

 

You would only be asked if somehow it did not get tied to your passport.

[gourmetnotgourmand]

23 hours ago, We_like_to_cruise said:

Moreton Island, Australia

 

Transferring from the ship to the tender is very challenging as the tender was banging up against the ship with every wave.  Guests hang on to each other during boarding and the staff are very careful to monitor each person’s entry.  The choppy ride takes about 20 minutes.  Guess we don’t need to pay for a banana boat ride onshore!

 

We disembark the tender and are now guests of the Tangalooma Island Resort.  There are numerous aquatic activities to purchase even if you did not have a pre-booked shore excursion.  Most are here are to simply go to the beach, although other options included snorkeling, Segway tours, 4wd vehicles, stand up paddle boarding, swimming in the pools and boat rides.  And, since the island is over 90% sand you can even go sand tobogganing on one of the giant sand dunes.

 

The resort is popular for residents of Brisbane, as it is only a bit over an hour away by ferry.  However, numerous announcements on the ship advised us we were forbidden to take the ferry to Brisbane.  (Moreton Island was not considered an official port).

 

The beach is large and clean and we scope out a mixed sun/shade spot for a few hours of sunbathing and swimming. 

 

Later we walk about half a mile down the beach to the “Tangalooma Wrecks”, a popular spot for snorkeling.  Over a dozen vessels were intentionally sunk in the waters about 50 years ago and they are now home to coral and numerous species of fish.  Although you can swim there directly from the beach, the current can be strong so a guided snorkeling excursion was recommended.

 

We return to the tender dock along an uphill trail in the sand for some views and pictures.  Along the way we pass some colorful plants and flowers.

 

The resort had a restaurant and bar but unlike Princess Cay (which this port was likened to) there was no included barbecue / lunch / drinks.

 

Our return tender ride was uneventful in the much calmer seas. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,

 

I want to thank you for your marvelous pictures and great commentary.  Been following you since the beginning of your WC.  
 

Sorry to be so forward but wonder if you kindly could try to contact D727.  Either the current occupant or their cabin attendant.  We are due to cruise on the Island Princess 33 nights in May.  Just curious if they like the cabin.

Thanks in advance.

Ursula

[cr8tiv1]

@We_like_to_cruise

I am enjoying your journey.  Thank you for placing spacers between each photo.  This way, I can savor each attraction.  
 

Hope you get your phone fixed. It’s a long way to an Apple Store (or other).