willsaway

6 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Yes, it is that cruise

I have just checked my invoice, you had me worried. But it clearly states gratuities included. So I do hope the t.a. hasn't made a booboo. 

On 4/11/2024 at 9:17 AM, martincath said:

Fixed fare cabs are up again - $37 to almost every downtown hotel now except the fancy ones by the pier like the PP which now run $41. No hotels with both airport and port shuttles, never have been. No hotels with port shuttles at all unless you include a couple of hotels fancy enough to have towncars that will drive you anywhere you like for 'free' - the Hampton Inn was the only budget one with a bus, it did not return after Covid. Given how close every downtown hotel is to the pier though, allow US$10 per cab (assume worst case that 3 adults and lots of suitcases will fit - we do have some vans that handle a ton of luggage but 80%+ of all cab fleets are Priuses that may fit 4 bums on seats but might struggle to handle cruise bags for 4) and that should cover the meter AND a tip easily from most hotels!

 

YWCA Hotel is always my recco for anyone who doesn't want to blow a fortune on a hotel - great location, designed as a hotel from day 1 so good soundproofing, an entire new wing added and the original one renovated right about when Covid hit so it's in better condition than most hotels in the city at any price. No dorms - they do have 5 bed family rooms and single rooms, as well as regular en suite and paired 'Jack & Jill' rooms that share a bathroom which makes it probably the most efficient hotel for groups that may or may not include couples, kids, friends as you can have a variety of room formats to suit, and large shared kitchens can save even more cash compared to dining out (laundries too, but if you've just flown in iI doubt you'll need to do a wash before boarding!)

 

But for folks who just can't bring themselves to 'stay at the Y' regardless of how well-reviewed it is, the Condo hotels usually work well for groups - as well as Times Sq mentioned above look at Sunset and Rosedale, all of which have at least 1 and 2 bedroom units.

We have stayed at the Y twice now, first time preCovid, 2nd time last September. We tell all our Aussie friends about it. It is a fabulous choice. Vancouver's best kept secret. Everything is closeby and walkable, and we're no spring chickens. Order a "kitchen box" from reception when you get there. It contains crockery and cutlery. You can also access coffee or tea from reception area in the mornings. It's not a "flash" hotel but given the appalling prices in Vancouver, it is a winner.

6 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

Our Sydney to Japan cruise booked using an Aussie TA and using Aud aboard doesn’t have gratuities included. It really 8s cruise dependant

Is this the Diamond Princess next Feb? I didn't even look, just assumed sailing ex Sydney it would automatically have those pesky gratuities included.

Completely underwhelmed with the itineraries on offer for Voyager when she kicks of her Brisbane season, so a big no from us, but have booked the 3 legs from Rome to Brisbane, including a 7 night Croatia cruise beforehand. When Explorer left Australia in 2019 we only cruised as far as Dubai and always regretted not going through the Suez, so here is the opportunity. We've never cruised in these waters, or the Mediterranean so are really keen. Many cruise critic members have experience in these areas, and all comments sought. Too early for any roll-calls yet, but the other social media outlet is up and running. We'll be doing the ports on this cruise on the smell of an oil rag, so any tips from fellow parsimonious passengers would be great.  I gather the Singapore to Sydney leg is attracting a lot of interest. 

Always appreciate a heads up cause Celebrity often manage to miss sending the email about flash sales. Only Celebrity we've got coming up is Solstice next March, Singapore to Sydney. So had a look, and sadly the prices for everything  are still through the roof. Maybe Black Friday sales.

All the posts over the years about early flights and will I-wont I make it (and I admit to one such post myself), just goes to show, you never know. 

We stayed at the Rendezvous a few weeks ago, and went across the road in George Street to "Rubs and "Burgers". Casual seating, either inside or outside, casual ordering and service. For a large group, it could be what you're looking for. It's not fancy by any means but suited us. Easy short stroll to/from hotel.

Evening all. Having just disembarked from this very cruise yesterday, here is my 2 bob's worth. Cost: did not get a particularly good price for a concierge infinity balcony cabin, but keen to try Edge and took advantage of a flash sale to upgrade from Classic to Premium drinks pkge. And so pleased we did. Prices were outrageous, if you were "paying". Sav Blanc Villa Maria $18US a glass as an example. So much higher generally than Royal prices. The ship itself was very flash, but we felt there were limited community areas. Only 3 general indoor bar areas: given the number of passengers limited seating, and disjointed and uncordinated bar service. 4 choices of MDR, and give Edge their due, the meals were terrific, as they were in the buffet. So fresh and well presented. Bands at bars: brilliant, really excellent. Staff: Captain Costa (who did a 90 minute superb presentation) said 50% of the staff were on their first contract. Enough said. Infinity Cabin: hmmm, has pluses and minuses. The window washing mechanism on the starboard side aft wasn't working, consequently window was heavily salted. The Captains Club drinks from 5-7 had enough choice to suit most people. Cruise Director: excellent. Unable to enjoy the experience of the Roof Garden or Sunset Bar as 6 days just wasn't enough time, but it did give us a good feel for a lovely, new ship. We'd go again but the price would have to be more in line with other cruises out of Sydney or Brisbane. 

@OzKiwiJJthank you, you can hear my sigh of relief. I can handle $1 a time. It's not that deBetoli is a bad vineyard, and many moons ago I purchased it by the good old cask, but several decades later, its a whole other story. 

On 2/16/2024 at 11:23 AM, arxcards said:

There is not great value in wine, as all the ones included in the package are cheap & cheerful. Very generic & easy to drink, but pretty boring.

 

There are dozens more. Rather than post now, I will get some up to date ones. The packages cater for martinis much better than wine, so that keeps us happy.

De Bertoli? And nothing from Marlborough wines. Looks like next year's Princess cruise to Japan will be spirits or cocktails. Which is fine, but I do like a wine with dinner.

On 2/17/2024 at 9:39 AM, martincath said:

That was the bridge toll, not a fee to enter Canada 😉 If you cross the Rainbow Bridge on foot, you pay leaving Canada; if you drive across you pay leaving the US; it's really common here for bridges and small, local ferry routes to only take fees in one direction as it cuts back on admin and infrastructure costs... these days the cost is different, CAD$6.50 but still US$5.

 

For our Kiwi OP, as long as your US ESTA has not expired you won't need to pay at any of the Vancouver-relevant land border crossings in either direction - unless you are over DutyFree allowances of course!

 

Personally I would fly into Vancouver - we have nonstops daily AKL-YVR, whereas SEA will need at least one layover for any flight from NZ - if you plan to visit before boarding a cruise in Seattle, so you would need to get a Canadian eTA for that, but just CAD$7 so not remotely significant compared to flight or cruise costs!

Hello @martincath.  Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw your profile on our local Aussie forum. You have been a phenomenal source of information all things Canadian for our two trips, 2018 and 2023. Cheers.

A memory on social media popped up for us today, 12 months to the day. Accepted an amazing offer to sail on Luminosa to the South Pacific, simply too good to refuse. Cruised on Spirit, and swore never again, but figured how bad could it be? So toddled up to Brisbane prepared to give Luminosa a go. Well, were we pleasantly surprised. The open bar areas with windows reminded us of Royal's Radiance class, and so much available seating for groups of friends. Found the entertainment more than acceptable. Sure, there were some weird aspects of the ship, the pool was totally inadequate for those who sun-worship, (not us), and the menus are a little on the odd side, but we weren't looking for negatives. The crew was excellent. Would we cruise on Luminosa again?  Hmmm, if the price was right, absolutely. We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise, and you can't ask more than that.

7 hours ago, arxcards said:

All mini-suites on Princess are nice and roomy, comfortable without being special. We also have a ME guarantee for our next cruise on Diamond. The "ME" is just a grade of mini based on location, with MA, MB, MC, MD considered to be in a more desirable lspot. We had booked a specific MD cabin, but found that combined with Black Friday sales we could save a motza by switching to a ME guarantee. At the time we followed advice here that all minis are on deck 9, but that wasn't accurate as some are aft on deck 8 - likely where your cabin will be.

 

OBC can be used for tours, but not for pre-booking of dining. Never fear, you will be able to book Ultimate Balcony Dinner easily once aboard with your OBC. Most other passengers are the same, that they would rather wait and book once aboard and it will be unlikely that it will sell out. It has been ages since we have done one, as they were shut down for a bit post-covid. We loved it and would recommend it as something worth trying.

 

The wines are drinkable, but in the main are cheap and cheerful bottom shelf - i.e. the price per glass is what you would normally pay for a bottle of the stuff. There isn't a great variety, and that is disappointing when you have paid for a package that allows you to drink every beer or 90% of the spirits/cocktails. This is pretty typical of "by the glass" wine across most cruise lines though, Royal included. $65 per day for plus, and it also includes internet and a few other bits you may or may not need. Cheap as chips compared to buying drinks or drink packages on other ships. 

 

As you have been loyal to Royal, everything you do with this cruise will relate back to how it compares with your past experiences with them. Only natural. We like Royal, we like Celebrity, we like Princess a bit more, all for varied reasons.

 

Enjoy putting your plans together.

Thanks for the info, have you ever travelled in a mini on deck 8 on this particular ship. The ever-informative YouTube features cabins on deck 9, and a (small) downside would appear to be absolutely no cover over the balcony.  Logic tells me that the mini's beneath on Deck 8 would have Deck 9 above as a cover? 

And what passes for a mini on Diamond is really a standard balcony cabin on Royal and Celebrity? Just a chair and a bed is doable for a short cruise, but not 22 nights. 

9 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

Check out the roll call for your cruise.

Hi, yes just joined. I thought I recognised your name from reading your various posts over the years. It will be nice to meet you. I also see there is a you-know-what page.  We may do a little Diamond cruise out of Brisbane prior to, just to get a feel for Princess.

Never thought we would book a Princess cruise. Nothing against Princess but we are Royal/Celebrity cruisers, but time for a change.  It almost didn't happen - 22 nights in a cabin without a couch was a deal breaker, even though the itinerary was very enticing. Then a friend mentioned Mini Suite, and we now have a gty, lower deck, aft ME, whatever that all means. There are many posters on this forum who are obviously very au fait with all things Princess, and you are all an absolute mine of information (plus Google). I've been reading a lot of posts. And I discovered something that sounds fun, a dinner served on your balcony. Thanks to many comments I found it (the dinner) on the website, and thought I might book it for day 6 Conflict Islands, and the price seemed sort of reasonable. However, unlike Royal Caribbean or Celebrity, I couldnt use obc for the purchase. Is this a Princess thing, can obc only be used once on board?  I've added the Plus package, and don't really want to throw more $$ into the pot. 

I see some members of CC are on this cruise. Looking forward to your comments. 

Bit horrified to read all your comments about the poor wine selection, and the focus on American wines.

Cheers

The Yacht Club at Yorkeys is a terrific spot to spend a few hours and your wife could shuttle into Cairns. We've tendered in Yorkeys and just spent the day at the Club, getting the very last tender back to the ship with the shore staff.

I've just come across this thread and really have struck gold, so thank you all. We've attempted Singapore twice now. In 2014 off the Celebrity Millennium we were all half dead and sightseeing was impossible, and again a day in port off Explorer of the Seas in 2018 when it took most of the day to even get off the ship, let alone explore. Have booked the Solstice in March 2025 back to Sydney and plan a few days in Singapore to try for the 3rd time. So comments about air con, mrt, night zoo etc and preferred locations are much appreciated. A medium priced hotel, value for money, is what we aim for, and evening drinks a bonus. 

Thank you so much for this thread, such great information. We are looking at Diamond Princess ex Sydney in Feb 2025 to Yokohama. It will be our first Princess cruise as we are Royal or Celebrity, but the itineraries ex Sydney are getting repetitious and Japan is high on our one-day list. Jumped on Cruise Critic and found your thread....excellent, will be making many notes. Cheers.

As usual, your suggestions are spot on. If I told my companions we'd be up for another $100 (oz $$), on top of menu, and then a tip, irrespective of good causes, they'd throttle me with their support stockings. So I do thank you, especially using the "budget" word. We'll be back on yet another Sunday a week later, on a side to side ( your prior advice to take off for the day) so I'll keep the pancake place for Sunday No 3.

As to black pudding, not unlike Vegemite, it's an acquired taste, so pass.

Nice to communicate in real time. Any budget dinner tips also welcome.

Sue

A small group of us Aussies are staying at the YWCA Vancouver over consecutive Sunday's. We are boarding on a "3 ship" day, and taking @martincath excellent advice to board later. We have a late checkout. I had planned on Medina, as have brunched there some years ago. But we don't relish paying for the privilege of a reservation (tipping is bad enough for us),  nor an hour's queue. So, 2nd or 3rd choice option gratefully sought please, within walking distance. Our first Sunday there we're opting for the Sky Tower's Brunch.

7 hours ago, martincath said:

UberXL, LyftXL, or local rideshare Kabu Plus should give you a single vehicle big enough without paying Limo rates (although NO legit local limo service has a per-person charge - that's unlawful! Pricing is strictly by vehicle, with standardized rate ranges defined by local bylaws, and enough competition you should easily find a legal-minimum-rate charging company - meeting you with a sign is an extra fee that is not set by law, always used to be $50 at the airport, but could be more now so legit rates for 5pax SUV could be close to $200 without being fake).

 

There's a designated waiting area for rideshares, and you should get free WiFi as soon as you land via YVRs network so even if you don't have a decent roaming rate over here - but unless there's a car close by and the taxi rank has a long queue you may not save any time, although you should save money compared to two cabs at $34ea + tip...

 

Note though that because it's a terminus station, you have literally zero rushhour commuters in any direction at any time of day from YVR SkyTrain - you will always get seats, and since 5pm is peak southbound the trains shouldn't even get that busy for you guys heading north so you might even be able to sit some bags in the aisle without inconveniencing anyone, especially if you snag the front or back seats. Stretching your legs with the very-slightly-downhill 8min walk along W Georgia from City Centre Station might also be nice after umpteen hours on a plane!

 

Inbound it doesn't save as much cash for a group due to the extra $5pp charge, but if you're all >65 you can save ~$7 total buying Concession tickets (2 zone = $3.05 instead of $4.45pp) for barely over CAD$40 total, probably not saving more than a few bucks over a big rideshare but unless one of those is available quickly the train is going to be the fastest way downtown (runs every 7 mins or less that time of day, <25mins to City Centre, 8min walk, no traffic unlike cars).

 

Not familiar with the upgrade cost of the bigger vehicles, but regular size rideshares all cost about 10% less into town than the taxi fixed fare zones so I'm fairly confident that one big rideshare will be cheaper than 2 cabs, possibly even as cheap as SkyTrain if you're paying regular Adult fares.

 

 

What a terrific answer, knew I could depend on you. Thank you so much, and added map is just sheer class. Love the idea of train. Sailing from Sydney we always use the train, so convenient. I have noted one of your previous posts that Vancouver has touch-tap for credit cards so I'm assuming we can buy tickets easily from some sort of fare machine. Should we do decide on a cab, what is an appropriate tip? It's an area fraught with difficulties for us Aussies. And I see the Medina is still there, you put us onto that in 2018. Perfect price point for budget travellers. 

There seem to be many ways of travel from the Vancouver airport to downtown. Your recommendations for a party of 5 tired, older, and jet-lagged Aussies would be very welcome. It would be nice to get off the plane, about 4 to 5 p.m., so peak hour, and not have to negotiate a taxi rank or the train station. Someone holding a sign, or similar, would be very nice. I've web searched and the availability is a little overwhelming and quite expensive, in that they seemed to be charging per person, rather than per vehicle. Thank you.

Thank you all for your insights and comments, it is very much appreciated.  I hate packing at the best of times and to cover all our stops is a bit daunting.  Happy to return the favour for info coming down under.  @martincath you never disappoint - we are all booked in at the Y, so thank you for those comments way back in 2019.

Flying in from Australia mid September, to spend a week in Vancouver (4 night Coach tour) followed by a 7 nighter inside passage cruise. We then jump ship to do the transpacific via Hawaii back to Oz.  Given airline weight restrictions, and given the limited time need for beanies, gloves, scarves, puffer jackets, sweaters and so on, I was considering buying second hand (pre-loved) clothing from an op shop - called in Canada Thrift shops? - and then redonating the goods on our return to Canada Place before boarding for the t.p.   Can any of the lovely locals who contribute to this thread advise if a) you actually have this type of store and/or b) a low cost Department Store.  Not looking for glamourous or trendy, just warm, waterproof and affordable.  We will have two full free days to do Vancouver sight seeing and shopping. Cheers.

2 hours ago, XLVIII said:

Make sure you have luggage tags ahead of time. Last year we couldn’t get our tags online from Celebrity - told to just get them from a porter at the pier. Waited an extra 45 minutes in that line alone. Ugh. 

Great tip, and one I am grateful for. I'm assuming Eclipse will have some sort of concierge availability and plan to use that facility to print our Brilliance tags if unable to do so from Oz before our flight out. Thank you.