Relaxing Robbies

Thanks for your advice. I have searched my currency supplies furter today and found about $6 worth of NZ coins. Did your coins change at some stage? I have 2 different sizes of coins saying 20 cents and 2 different sizes of 10 cents. Do they still accept old currency?

We are cruising to NZ late next week and are intending to use the public buses in both Dunedin and Christchurch. Sounds like we will need to get an early start to beat the masses. Looking at the websites of the bus services, they are already warning about overcrowded services, even without cruise ships added to the mix. I have rummaged through my foreign currency supplies and found a NZ$50 note left over from my last trip. Bus websites say you can pay cash for tickets on the bus, but do not mention if you need the correct fare or if they will give change. Does anyone know the answer to this?

Boarding time selection becomes available 59 or 60 days prior to boarding. The QR code just pops up on your Medallion App once you select your boarding time.

Don’t know about Skype, but on Coral Princess in September I had wi fi access, so I was able to do a video call through Messenger.

Celebrity Eclipse was there yesterday.

Today.

We drink De Bortoli cask wine at home sometimes when we don’t want to open a better bottle. Unfortunately I found the Willowglen versions less appealing than the cask wine.

There are no boarding passes to be printed out now. If you don’t use a smartphone, print out a copy of your travel summary. That will show your Suite cabin that gives you priority. If you have done all your information via the web app, have you been able to select an arrival time? We are on the same cruise as you, and selected the first arrival group A. The time for the first group is 12.30 to 1.00pm. Boarding is later than usual because it will be busy at Station Pier that day with Coral Princess visiting Melbourne on her lap around Oz.

We are cruising to NZ in early November and have already made a booking for a tour at Zealandia. We will decide on the day whether to get the shuttle from the i-site or do the cable car first and shuttle from the top. The walk down through the botanic gardens is lovely if the weather is ok.

I also had a cold shower one morning last month. Informed the cabin steward and it was fixed same day.

I think the cruiselines are trying hard to have their ships arrive here without too many positive cases. Grand Princess are requiring masks and testing passengers onboard for their cruise that leaves US tomorrow to Oz. I believe Majestic has similar rules. Sparky said that Carnival Splendor had similar.

Our taxi driver taking us to the terminal had never been there before. I had printed out the instructions on how to get there and gave it to him. He had his doubts and kept asking us if we were sure that was where we needed to go. I think he thought that WE had nefarious intentions.

We just got an email from friends who are currently cruising on P&O UK Aurora in eastern Canada. They had to do a big diversion due to Fiona. They missed St John and Gaspe, got into Quebec and are currently at Saguenay. Their next call to Charlottetown has been replaced by Corner Brook, and they are waiting to hear if it will be possible to visit Sydney or Halifax. We would love to cruise Eastern Canada one day, hopefully when there is no hurricane.

We are booked on this cruise. In Australia we cannot prebook Carnival shore excursions. They are not available for sale until you board the ship.

I am cruising on Coral Princess in a few weeks, doing a 7 day cruise that includes Willis Island. I know that you can purchase duty free on the ship. Does this cruise also count as an international departure so that you can claim back GST on new goods under the Tourist Refund Scheme? Did any of our recent cruisers doing this cruise see a TRS claim desk at the cruise terminal when they were boarding or were you all so excited to be back on a ship that you forgot to look? I need a new ipad and mobile phone and an wondering if it is worth purchasing them before my cruise?