Rare MMDown Under Posted April 17, 2023 Author #101 Share Posted April 17, 2023 8 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said: No, it will be our first time on Regent. A friend of ours is an expert at sniffing out really good deals then tempting us with them. It should be fun. We booked that cruise first, then I found the Princess cruise which dovetails nicely and has no duplicate port stops. We needed something to soak up some FCCs from Princess and that was the perfect solution. Sounds wonderful. What are the ports? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OzKiwiJJ Posted April 17, 2023 #102 Share Posted April 17, 2023 54 minutes ago, MMDown Under said: Sounds wonderful. What are the ports? The Diamond Princess ports are: Aomori Sakata Kanazawa - the only place we've been to before. Sakaiminato Busan Nagasaki The RSS Explorer Ports are: Shimizu Kobe Kochi Okinawa Taipei Nha Trang Ho Chi Minh City overnight stop Laem Chabang overnight on ship before transferring to Bangkok. We've been to a few of these ports before but since RSS has included excursions we'll get to see stuff we haven't been to before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MMDown Under Posted April 17, 2023 Author #103 Share Posted April 17, 2023 9 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said: The Diamond Princess ports are: Aomori Sakata Kanazawa - the only place we've been to before. Sakaiminato Busan Nagasaki The RSS Explorer Ports are: Shimizu Kobe Kochi Okinawa Taipei Nha Trang Ho Chi Minh City overnight stop Laem Chabang overnight on ship before transferring to Bangkok. We've been to a few of these ports before but since RSS has included excursions we'll get to see stuff we haven't been to before. Lots of interesting new ports to enjoy. How exciting! Overnight stop allows you to attend a cooking class if one isn’t already included. From Laem Chabang we got a private transfer to the zoo. Having excursions included is a big bonus. Bon Voyage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OzKiwiJJ Posted April 17, 2023 #104 Share Posted April 17, 2023 2 minutes ago, MMDown Under said: Lots of interesting new ports to enjoy. How exciting! Overnight stop allows you to attend a cooking class if one isn’t already included. From Laem Chabang we got a private transfer to the zoo. Having excursions included is a big bonus. Bon Voyage! RSS has lots of cooking classes onboard so we'll probably do a some of those. I have to be a bit careful with Vietnamese and Thai cooking classes as I react badly to fresh coriander. We'll certainly be making the most of the excursions though - I think I'll need a holiday after that trip to recover! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MMDown Under Posted April 17, 2023 Author #105 Share Posted April 17, 2023 39 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said: RSS has lots of cooking classes onboard so we'll probably do a some of those. I have to be a bit careful with Vietnamese and Thai cooking classes as I react badly to fresh coriander. We'll certainly be making the most of the excursions though - I think I'll need a holiday after that trip to recover! What a lovely reason for an afters holiday. Is ship same design as Azamara? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OzKiwiJJ Posted April 17, 2023 #106 Share Posted April 17, 2023 1 hour ago, MMDown Under said: What a lovely reason for an afters holiday. Is ship same design as Azamara? I wouldn't have a clue about Azamara ships. Although didn't Pacific Princess become an Azamara ship? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted April 17, 2023 #107 Share Posted April 17, 2023 1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said: I wouldn't have a clue about Azamara ships. Although didn't Pacific Princess become an Azamara ship? Yes Azamara Onward, very nicely refurbed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielil Posted April 17, 2023 #108 Share Posted April 17, 2023 What happened to visiting ports such as Newcastle, Gladstone and Townsville in winter. Even Batemans Bay (for Canberra) used to be on itineraries, although you need to use tenders. Pacific Explorer could visit those ports as I have been on similar size ships to those ports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MMDown Under Posted April 17, 2023 Author #109 Share Posted April 17, 2023 1 hour ago, aussielil said: What happened to visiting ports such as Newcastle, Gladstone and Townsville in winter. Even Batemans Bay (for Canberra) used to be on itineraries, although you need to use tenders. Pacific Explorer could visit those ports as I have been on similar size ships to those ports. Also Mackay for small ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare reeves35 Posted April 17, 2023 #110 Share Posted April 17, 2023 2 hours ago, aussielil said: What happened to visiting ports such as Newcastle, Gladstone and Townsville in winter. Even Batemans Bay (for Canberra) used to be on itineraries, although you need to use tenders. Pacific Explorer could visit those ports as I have been on similar size ships to those ports. It was announced at P&O's recent celebrations that the channel at Townsville is being dredged so cruise ships can enter the port. It would add another potential port on North Qld itineraries though a cruise around Willis Island would still be required to allow the duty free shops to open up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aus Traveller Posted April 17, 2023 #111 Share Posted April 17, 2023 9 hours ago, reeves35 said: It was announced at P&O's recent celebrations that the channel at Townsville is being dredged so cruise ships can enter the port. It would add another potential port on North Qld itineraries though a cruise around Willis Island would still be required to allow the duty free shops to open up. Quite a few years ago we went into Townsville on a P&O cruise, but the ship was anchored out beyond Magnetic Island. It was a very long tender ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSWP Posted April 17, 2023 #112 Share Posted April 17, 2023 (edited) In short, if you want to cruise other parts of the world you need to take a plane to board the ship. Unless you win the lotto and do the annual world cruise on Princess from/to Sydney. Edited April 17, 2023 by NSWP 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MMDown Under Posted April 17, 2023 Author #113 Share Posted April 17, 2023 1 hour ago, Aus Traveller said: Quite a few years ago we went into Townsville on a P&O cruise, but the ship was anchored out beyond Magnetic Island. It was a very long tender ride. Magnetic Island is beautiful. I saw my last koala in the wild there. Small ships could anchor off there and tender into the island. Those who prefer Townsville could take the regular ferry from MI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OzKiwiJJ Posted April 18, 2023 #114 Share Posted April 18, 2023 It's all very well for us to say we want more ports to stop at but the local communities at those possible ports have to come to the party. Some small towns might not want thousands of cruisers decending upon them like locusts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aus Traveller Posted April 18, 2023 #115 Share Posted April 18, 2023 22 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said: It's all very well for us to say we want more ports to stop at but the local communities at those possible ports have to come to the party. Some small towns might not want thousands of cruisers decending upon them like locusts! With some small towns, there mightn't be much to interest tourists within a reasonable distance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSWP Posted April 18, 2023 #116 Share Posted April 18, 2023 Just now, Aus Traveller said: With some small towns, there mightn't be much to interest tourists within a reasonable distance. Like Eden, mystifies me why ships call in there. Very limited shorex attractions. Nice area though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare aussielozzie18 Posted April 18, 2023 #117 Share Posted April 18, 2023 1 minute ago, NSWP said: Like Eden, mystifies me why ships call in there. Very limited shorex attractions. Nice area though. I like Eden. Gladstone though - I am staying on the ship next time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelbTone Posted April 18, 2023 #118 Share Posted April 18, 2023 10 minutes ago, NSWP said: Like Eden, mystifies me why ships call in there. Very limited shorex attractions. Nice area though. I enjoyed Eden, walking around, lunch in town, Killer Whale and Mary McKillop museums. Beautiful weather helped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aus Traveller Posted April 18, 2023 #119 Share Posted April 18, 2023 13 minutes ago, aussielozzie18 said: I like Eden. Gladstone though - I am staying on the ship next time. That's exactly my point. There isn't much in Gladstone for a tourist. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare aussielozzie18 Posted April 18, 2023 #120 Share Posted April 18, 2023 9 minutes ago, MelbTone said: I enjoyed Eden, walking around, lunch in town, Killer Whale and Mary McKillop museums. Beautiful weather helped. Yes, it’s a nice spot to explore on foot if you have a lovely sunny day and have no issues with hills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Yaya_in_Oz Posted April 18, 2023 #121 Share Posted April 18, 2023 Sometimes you can have too many ports. I refuse to get on any ship that stops at Phillip Island Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MMDown Under Posted April 18, 2023 Author #122 Share Posted April 18, 2023 30 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said: That's exactly my point. There isn't much in Gladstone for a tourist. I seem to recall going to an island from Gladstone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MMDown Under Posted April 18, 2023 Author #123 Share Posted April 18, 2023 50 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said: With some small towns, there mightn't be much to interest tourists within a reasonable distance. I find the people are nice in small towns. If you give them the time of day you will learn a lot (for free) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MMDown Under Posted April 18, 2023 Author #124 Share Posted April 18, 2023 50 minutes ago, NSWP said: Like Eden, mystifies me why ships call in there. Very limited shorex attractions. Nice area though. I saw a mother and baby whale close to the shore at Eden. Was the highlight of our travels south!! When do they come last? August at Hervey Bay but you have to do boat tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MMDown Under Posted April 18, 2023 Author #125 Share Posted April 18, 2023 12 minutes ago, Yaya_in_Oz said: Sometimes you can have too many ports. I refuse to get on any ship that stops at Phillip Island Why from a Queenslander? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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