AussieGypsie

1 hour ago, sayaguru said:

Yes. I heard that. The time restrictions annoy me. apparently they've extended lunch to 2.30. 

I just got off Carnival Splendor. 

The food was OK. Nothing startling. I like that you have many options included (pizza, Hot rolls and sandwiches, Indian, hamburgers, as well as the buffet and restaurant.

The layout is a bit add hoc, with the restaurant in the middle of deck 3, thereby cutting it in half. 

I had an oceanview on deck 1 and was pleasantly surprised by the size. 2 of the comedians were hilarious. The last 2 were OK. There were a few bogans though that think it's about them. 

I enjoyed the cruise. 

Back to Princess this week. 

Also just got off the Carnival Splendor and the ship's decor was a bit busy. The layout of the ship reminded us of the Ruby Princess as it was a bit odd and didn't like, what felt like, little compartments.

We had an interior room on deck 2. Room was a good size but wouldn't recommend being on such a low deck. 

Food was OK and found it odd that the buffet didn't cater for those who liked a small sweet snack with their morning or afternoon coffee unless you wanted to pay.

We're not big drinkers of alcohol and found the drinks very expensive. I think I spent more on this 6 day cruise than I would on a 14 day cruise.

The entertainment was hit and miss. Difficult to see a show as the first few nights there was only one show at 9pm. Our dinner seating was 7:45pm but the service was slow even when only 2 of us showed up and we never managed to get meals and be out before 9:15pm. The last few nights they changed their program and two shows were being preformed.

There were a violin trio performing on level 3 that drew a large crowd. Excellent. Then a duo performing near the casino who were also good.

All in all, our preference is Princess but we got such a good deal with Carnival that those little things that were missing for not quite right didn't matter. It had a good time and if another opportunity came up to cruise with Carnival I'm sure we would consider and book if the price and destination was right for us.

Hi All,

Thought I would throw my 2 cents worth here. Reading that a number of people are wondering why some of the Princess cruises are list as "currently unavailable". Our Princess cruise planner advised me that it meant that the cruise was fully booked and you could only go on a waitlist.

Was also told that new itineraries are due out on 14 July 2022 and we have put our name down for a Sydney to Perth March 2023 cruise (I think it's on the Coral). Just waiting now on the call back to confirm the price and also the price and sailing date of the Sydney to Adelaide.

We were booked to sail March 2023 Sydney to Hong Kong but that was cancelled and the alternate of Sydney to Yokohama in April 2024 didn't appeal.

On 9/4/2018 at 2:15 AM, Rncath11 said:

 

We sailed on the Coral Princess for Alaska cruise. Very happy with Princess cruise lines and Coral Princess.

Jerri

We also sailed on the Coral Princess for our Alaska cruise. And we will be sailing again on the Coral Princess for our Panama Canal cruise in March 2019. Coral Princess is a small but nice ship.

Lots of wonderful posts about the Coral on here. I've been researching her for 2 years since we decided to book her for our Alaska cruise next week (!)

We sailed on the Coral for our Alaska cruise last May. Absolutely fabulous cruise and ship. Enjoy

Sorry to hear it wasn't a good experience for you.

We had no knowledge of our upgrade until a couple of days prior to sailing. Already on the other side of the world & just happened to have wifi so I thought I would check emails. Upgrade was at no cost to us & we were fortunate that ours was a good experience.

We upgraded once and it was a downgrade for us. We ended up on the Aloha deck under MUTS. Constant moving of chairs above us and the noise from MUTS and Lido. Never again. We've been called and I tell them we'll only upgrade to the Owner's Suite at no additional cost. Haven't had a call since.:confused:

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Aren't ungrades the best. We had our first upgrade on the Coral Princess in May from interior to balcony. Don't know why they picked us but we were very grateful.

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We recently cruised on the Sun Princess and as usual had the Anytime Dining in the Regency Dining Room.

 

Found the service excellent, and the added bonus was recognizing and being recognized by the Maitre D and many of the waiters from our cruise in June 2017.

 

We were intrigued this time that each time we dined, breakfast, lunch and dinner the waiter requested our cabin numbers. Found this curious and wondered if Princess were conducting a survey and for what reason.

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Hey AussieGypsie! I just re-read her blog too! Great minds think alike. I hope we run into each other on our cruise. Last I checked no one had set up a meet and greet yet.

Hi there CherryHarley I'll keep an eye out for you and if you dump into two Australians from Sydney that could be me and my husband. Not too long to go now. I don't usually go to the meet and greet as I find that we get to meet so many people with the anytime dinning and just basically striking up conversations wherever we happen to go.

The wording on the back of my card states "unused specialty coffees redeemable on next voyage. Complimentary coffee/tea only applicable to voyage of purchase" Purchased in Sydney last November. No expiry date just Vessel & voyage date. But being a coffee drinker I had no problem using the 15 punches on two cards

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Oh that photo is sad. Why would someone think it's ok to give wildlife Mcdonalds!

 

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I would definitely recommend it then. The scenery from the ferry and bus are beautiful. It's not like you won't have anything to look at on the way there and back, lol.

 

I would recommend some sturdy shoes you don't mind getting muddy. There is a decent amount of walking and quite a bit of mud due to the rains when we were there in May. Here is a photo of the grizzly at Kroschel.

 

 

 

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Wow, it wouldn't bother me at all that's what hats are for!

 

 

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Hi there,

We will be doing a HAL Alaska cruise next year and also will be in Canada for 2 weeks.

We will be exchanging our AUD for CAD , but I am hoping we are able to use our debit card for incidentals like lunch and gifts in Alaska to avoid exchanging some USD also.

Many thanks (:

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I travel with a Sony NEX6 and 18-200mm lens. Love my camera & the best thing is it has a viewfinder which phones don't have. Its not always easy to see what's on the screen & I really need & want to see what I'm taking a photo of.

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We were on Sun Princess last week. Cocktails AU$9.95 and $13.95. Cider $6, Prosecco $9 for a piccolo. BUT.......There is 'Happy Hour' 3-4pm and 9-10pm in the Wheelhouse bar where the second drink is only $1. They don't open the prosecco or beer bottles either. I stocked the cabin fridge for drinking on the balcony or during afternoon trivia. Drinks package is still $59 (no extra service charge either). We took wine aboard for drinking at the dining table. An extra bottle is around $40. Overall our daily consumption was well short of the package price without skimping.

 

Coffee card is $35 and with that you can also get free pots of tea, hot chocolate and brewed coffee, even if you are not buying a specialty coffee at the same time.

Hi I'm probably asking a very stupid question but here goes.... Are you saying that the Drinks Package is A$59 per day or in total?

Thanks for the great review. Sailing on the Coral next May 2018. Made a list of what to pack..... looking for weather proof pants and will check out Chilkoot Charters. Pity about not seeing photos but I'll head to your Flickr album.

AryMay

I've enjoyed reading your posts and seeing your beautiful photos. We are on the Coral May 2018 travelling Vancouver to Anchorage then onwards into Denali with our final destination Fairbanks. Sure excited especially about see the wildlife and in particular whales! This has helped kick start my planning. I'll be re-reading and adding more notes to the 2 pages already filled.

Thanks for taking the time and effort

Coral is an excellent ship for Alaska as Baha and Caribe decks both have forward and aft viewing decks. Really nice for observing the glaciers and other scenery.

 

There is an excellent review (done by caribill) of the land portion of a connieusseur cruise tour located HERE

Thank you for providing this link. We are sailing on the Coral Princess May 18 Vancouver to Anchorage then land to Fairbanks. This information will certainly help with my research.

Hi David

could you add to your list - 20 March 2016 Celebrity Solstice Pacific Island. Thank you

Thank you. We are in Sydney for a few days before going on a cruise in early April. Never been to Australia before and really looking forward to the experience.

 

Our interests are fairly broad - also going to cricket world cup matches earlier in the month.

 

Phil and Doreen

 

 

If you have the time Sydney also has a HopOn HopOff bus that not only takes you around the main sites but also ventures into Bondi Beach. Of course there is always the option of a ferry trip across the harbour to Manly and it's beautiful beaches.

 

Whatever you decide to do I hope you enjoy your stay.

I have booked tickets for Aida in early May which seems to be outside but near the Opera House. Could one of the cultured Aussies please advise this Brit where the performance might be.

 

Thanks

Hi madmacs

Aida seems to be performing at Fleet Steps, Mrs Macquaries Point which is adjacent to the Royal Botanic Gardens. Not really next to the Opera House but it's walkable depending on where you are travelling from.

http://opera.org.au/res/pdfs/eguides/2012/HOSH_Eguide_DU.pdf

I hope this link works it has directions on getting to the venue.

Another way is to go onto google maps and it will give you directions from where you are staying to Fleet Steps.

regards

AussieGypsie

Have a look here then.....

 

http://travelheadfirst.com/local-legends/cruise-packages-dunedin/

 

cheers

Hey Flipper, have you booked tours through Travel Head First? I'm doing some research for our first cruise sailing Dec 2014 and came across their website as well as a few too many more.

We have been to Dunedin and surrounds before so not looking at doing a tour with them there but possibly one of the other areas they service.

Lots of good suggestions and it does really depend on what your interests are. Yes it isn't too difficult to walk around our beautiful city but there is some benefit in taking up the option of the Hop On/Hop Off bus known as the Sydney Explorer http://www.theaustralianexplorer.com.au/sydney-bondi-explorer.html With this you can also visit Bondi but catching a ferry from Circular Quay to Manly is just as lovely. If you decide on public transport consider a Multi Day Pass for around A$23 this gives you unlimited train, bus & ferry transport. You'll find more information here http://www.sydneytrains.info/tickets/which/mymulti_day Above all don't attempt to do too much pick the things that interest you the most and get value out of your visit. I hope you have a wonderful time in our fabulous city.

Hi

You can add me to Sun Princess 29 Dec to NZ