Jonibme

August 15, 2019

On 8/13/2019 at 10:48 AM, ggprincess2004 said:

You do noy have to do much. You may or may not get a new cruise card for the second leg. If you do it will be delivered to you the last night, and you will also receive instructions about what you need to do if you are planning on staying on the ship rather than exploring Brisbane for the day.

Safety suggestion...take 30 seconds and empty all you personal toiletries, meds, etc., from the bathroom before you leave the room on turnaround day. While mistakes hardly ever happen, sometimes a pantry boy who is charged with prepping the bathrooms errs and doesn't realize he is doing a b2b situation, and tosses everything. We just tuch them in a carry on, and take 30 seconds later in the day to put it all back in place.

My memory of turnaround day in Brisbane on the Sea Princess is that we coukd disembark at any time with those passengers ending their voyage and go out for the day, no issues. Then, when you return and reboard you cannot disembark again that day. No need to wait and meet your fellow b2b passengers who are staying on and not venturing out, but that group will be escorted through an immigration process and be able to get right back aboard. Again, they then cannot disembark again that day,

Hope that helps you plan.

Thank you! It sounds like we will have 3 sea days before we have that turn-around so an Uber into the city for a few odds and ends and to stretch our legs will probably be in order!

August 13, 2019

Sea Princess sailing out of Brisbane Feb 2-16 New Zealand and Feb 16-23 Australia... We are very excited except for the airfare and schedules from LAX... We are coming from our home in rural Alaska so we figured we want to see everything we can because we probably won't make it Down Under again! I logged in to do a price check on the Princess site last night and found all balcony cabins sold out on the first cruise. I'm thankful I was able to select the same cabin for both sailings when I booked a couple months ago!

July 31, 2019

I can clearly see from the website https://www.etanewzealand.com/ that I need an eTA for my February 2020 New Zealand cruise departing from Brisbane. That website also says that the application program will be ready to roll in July 2019. Today is the last day of July and there still doe snot appear to be any active form available on that website no matter how much I click around.

Am I missing something?

I got our Australian eTA quick and easy but I am reluctant to buy air tickets etc until I have that New Zealand eTA in hand!

Has anybody else found a live eTA site for New Zealand yet?

Thanks!

July 26, 2019

On 3/20/2019 at 6:21 PM, elliair said:

Alaska IMHO is more beautiful than the Caribbean. You don't see poverty in Alaska, only serene landscapes and clean cities. There's plenty to see and do in Alaska, and we will pay the price to see Alaska. It's one of our favorite cruises. I hope to book a cruise to Alaska this season. Health issues are keeping us home for the time being.

I have lived in Alaska for over 20 years and there is plenty of poverty here - you just have to know where to look. The larger cities have historically done a pretty good job of hiding the homeless and criminal elements during summer months but recent budget cuts are shutting down shelters and reducing assistance to the poor so they may soon be more visible.

That being said - We are about to take our 3rd inside passage cruise (it's the best way to go visit friends and relatives down in Southeast) and agree that it is an expensive itinerary but worth it!

July 20, 2019

10 hours ago, Devoira said:

Hi all!

I am looking at taking my second-ever cruise this August, going to Alaska from Vancouver, 11 day Denali Explorer: 7 day cruise, 4 day land.

There are two options. One ends in Fairbanks with Riverboat Discovery Tour included, the other in Anchorage.

Any suggestions on which city might be better?

And does anyone know if it is possible to see the Northern Lights late August from either?

I have lived in Alaska for 21 years and I have seen the Northern Lights a half dozen times in August... You are much more likely to see them in Fairbanks but I have enjoyed them while camping on the Spit in Homer at the tip of the Kenai Peninsula in early August! We currently enjoy a dark starry hour or so about 2-3AM but it is a very short "night"!

Which city is better? It completely depends on what you want to see... There are beautiful museums and historical sights around both cities. I would probably recommend Anchorage and highly recommend the Natural History Museum and the Native Heritage Center as excellent day tours.

I hope you have a great time on your trip no matter what you do in our great state!

July 5, 2019

On 6/28/2019 at 1:32 AM, SinbadThePorter said:

It's not what you were asking for, but what about Tangalooma as a left field option? It's basically a smaller version of Fraser Island, but on the other side of Moreton Bay from Brisbane. Beautiful beaches for as far as the eye can see.

https://www.tangalooma.com/

That is one gorgeous looking resort! We have some sights we want to see in the Brisbane area but I may still keep this in mind for post-cruise! Thanks for the new bookmark!

June 23, 2019

Hey fellow Cruisers!

We will be flying into Brisbane 4 days ahead of our down under cruise adventure and I am looking for suggestions for good, clean, safe, walkable hotel locations. We enjoy nice hotels with nearby good local dining and entertainment options. We are coming in February to specifically get out of our Alaskan winter to a warm location so we want to spend our time enjoying the warm sunny weather and seeing the local sights...

I have been doing some shopping online and I have to confess that I am impressed with the affordability of what we are finding in Brisbane compared to similar hotels in the US! Should we go for "City Center" or the Waterfront? I see some beautiful beachfront accommodations too!

Is Uber or some other transportation "App" available in Brisbane?

Please share your experience and recommendations!

Curious in Alaska

June 9, 2019

Yes my info was from the same site but a different page of it. US requirements... and it lists the Passport photo as Optional. I signed up for that email notification as well.

We are sailing out of Brisbane so I already have our Australian eTA approval. They only took about 15 minutes to receive by email after I submitted the online form. There was a bunch of info off our Passport required but it was easy and fast! No photo required for that one at all.

I hope the NZ eTA follows the same model. If so it will be a quick effort. Fingers crossed here!

June 9, 2019

45 minutes ago, Keith1010 said:

This document does mention a photo being required.

https://www.immigration.govt.nz/documents/communications-toolkit/eta-factsheet-for-travel-sector.pdf

And a few months ago on their web site I found the photo they talked about with the off white background.

Keith

Imagine that! It appears there are some inconsistencies between the different Immigration Department website sections. I guess we will have to wait and see what rolls out in July! Very interesting. Thank you for that link!

June 9, 2019

Thank you all for the feedback -

I have to admit that through our past cruises, when packing on the last day, I always wish it didn't have to end "so soon" no matter how long the cruise is! I am already very excited to NOT be in the lounge waiting for my "color to be called" to disembark and join the "bag drag parade" on day 14! It doesn't take much to tickle this cruiser!

I called our assigned Princess Travel Planner for this reservation (first time for that - I normally just book it online for myself) and she assured me that we would not be moved without a verbal approval from one of us. The only way we would do that is if it was a nice upgrade.

It is our 11th Princess cruise but our first one on a smaller, older ship. I have been reading very nixed reviews about the Sea Princess but we always have a good time no matter the ship. We believe it is all what you make of it!

Smooth sailing fellow Cruisers and thanks again!

June 9, 2019

Yes of course I know the thing to do is just do as they tell you but it is nice to know what to expect in advance so you can use your time optimally. No matter how it turns out we will have fun because it is February and we will be in the warm sunshine instead of the dark and icy!

Thanks for the comments. I thin kI have a much better idea what to expect now!

June 9, 2019

On 6/2/2019 at 9:08 AM, Keith1010 said:

I discover this a few months ago.

What I am not happy is their writeup about the photo.

They will not accept one with a white background which is what most companies use who take passport and visa photos.

We had one made while we were on our recent cruise. It was not easy for the photographer as he didn't have an off white background but we did find a spot in the ship.

We'll see if they take this in July, otherwise we will have to find a professional photographer because I don't think the typical passport/visa places that take photos will have an off white background.

Keith

The NZ ETA is not the same as a full Visa and according to the write up on the ETA Website, they do not require a photo. You will receive your ETA in email and can print it to bring along with your Passport to board the plane and eventually the ship. It all rolls out in July and you will even be able to apply by smart phone which, I read, will be cheaper than applying online or hard paper.

I am keeping in mind the eTA program has not officially deployed in New Zealand yet so things can change but that is what the website says today.

Happy Sailing!

June 9, 2019

Ok you long term cruisers - Please help me?

I need to learn about the back to back experience. We have been cruising regularly for 15 years but we have never done a back to back trip. We are very excited to have just booked a B2B Down Under for 21 days total in 2020!!

I was careful to book the same cabin for both cruises and I was wondering if we will have to settle our account and start fresh for the second cruise and will we have to go through the whole Embarkation again to get new key cards, photos etc?

Tell me about "turn around day" all you long cruise lovers!

Thanks from Alaska!

June 9, 2019

On 1/28/2018 at 6:55 AM, rhsjr said:

I just read that U.S. citizens need a Visa for Australia, but not New Zealand. Is that really true if staying less than 3 months?

Sent from my SM-G955U using Forums mobile app

Actually this is not true any longer if you are traveling to New Zealand after October 2019. Check out this website for details. https://www.etanewzealand.com/

My hubby and I are doing a back2back out of Brisbane in February 2020. The first 14 days is New Zealand and the next 7 days is all Australia... Great Barrier Reef ports. We have to get both ETAs but We already got the Australian one for $20 or something like that... in just a few moments online it was approved. We will be getting our New Zealand ETA application filed in July as soon as it is available.

I hope this adds clarification.

August 25, 2018

This thread has a picture showing the beam and space in front clearly. It doesn’t show the size of the covered area well though— and I remember that being surprisingly large.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2428240&highlight=Princess+b750

Thank you! That's exactly what I wanted to know. It does look a bit crowded but we can probably make due!

August 25, 2018

Views from the room are compromised by the beam, but when you go out on the balcony it has two areas basically. The covered section is first, then the beam, then a small section in the sun front and center on the rail. It holds two chairs for sunset drinks, but not much more. Majority of the space is in the covered area behind the beam.

You still get the sound of the wake to lull you to sleep. I know I found some pictures of it online when I booked it. I’ll look and update if I find them again.

Thank you! There is only the 2 of us and I am the sunbather of the 2... maybe I can still make due in that small front uncovered space. (yn) We wanted it more for enjoying the sound of the wake as we go to sleep at night, room service sunset dinners, enjoying the wake departures etc... We never invite anyone to join us in our cabin so I am not worried about people space for more than 2...

August 25, 2018

We are Elite level and feeling very silly right now. :o:oWe have always enjoyed the wake view so when we decided on the 14 day Circle Caribbean itinerary and there was an aft cabin available I grabbed it and made my deposit much larger than required and went to bed that evening smiling and dreaming about sunset wake departures from Caribbean ports... then the next morning I went to look at my reservation again and that cabin is listed as having a "Premium" balcony but it is also listed as "Obstructed view"? I am about to make my final payment (we are on the 11/25/18 sailing) and I am just wondering how "obstructed" this view really is? I have googled thousands of images of the aft view of the CB but it is impossible to tell any details about this balcony...

I thought I might roll the dice and see if any of you fellow "Cruise Critics" might have first hand experience with this cabin? Don't get me wrong - we will have an awesome trip no matter what because that's how we roll - but if I am going to make a change it is going to cost me and I better do it sooner rather than later!

Thanks in advance!

February 3, 2018

Well I mean, I know the difference between a mini suite and a balcony but not sure if MD is good or not... Any cabin with an unobstructed view, a balcony, a bigger shower and a sofa is a good thing!