patch nine

I am sure we had an earlier flight than that last December.   We had booked through Easy air and our flight was later changed making it earlier.  We booked Princess transfers and were among the first off and arrived at the airport in plenty of time for our flight. We disembarked about 7.40 and were at the airport about 8.45.  I think our flight was about 10.30 

19 hours ago, Dobby_The_Ship_Elf said:

Gotta agree with you here.

I got dragged along to one of his shows by Mrs Elf...... she was raving about him pre-show.

I thought it was crap. Even Mrs Elf admitted it wasn't his best.

He seemed to talk more than sing.

I was there to hear music not a monologue.

My 2c

 

 

 

We saw him on the Coral and thought the same thing.  Also we wanted to hear him sing, not the audience!  

2 hours ago, Jean C said:

I too prefer to just step in. Temperature/water pressure knobs took some getting used to, I must be a slow learner as it took me a couple of days to figure out which knob was which! Every time our steward serviced the room the shower was switched to bath mode, grrr. Feet would also get a bath from the slow draining plug.  Keith, being a gentleman or just simply savvy, always lets me shower first, that way the temperature is already set for him 😄.  Showers over the bath always seem a bit grubbier to me, being darker and dingier.  Being a grub-a-phobe I'd never use a well worn, grubby'ish bath, I wonder if people actually use the bath 🛀? I much prefer a regular shower 🚿 

 

PS, balcony has a footstool (not stall) 😧

Ha Ha.  Glad it wasn't just me who had trouble with this!  First day I just couldn't work it out then for a couple of days kept muddling up the hot/cold and the pressure dials so either got scalded or frozen.  Finally had it working perfectly by the end of the cruise.  

I didn't find the duty free prices on the Coral Princess that expensive last week (Willis Island).  We bought 2 bottles of Bundaberg rum 1.125L for $36 each, which is less than we normally pay for 750ml in Dan Murphys.  Just checked and Dan's current price for the 1.125L is $66.95.

1 hour ago, arxcards said:

The presumption is that if you don't feel unwell enough to test, you can't have covid. The presumption is that what you have can't be too bad, then it must be OK for anyone else to have it too.

 

The rules have changed. Even if I test positive for covid, I am supposed to come to work with it unless I am unwell enough to stay home in bed with it. That is what our guidelines on land say, and they are no different at sea. Stay home (in cabin) if you are unwell. If there is a moral dilemma between not isolating if you have tested positive but feel OK, that is all about discretion. There is no requirement to test, even if unwell. For every person who tests & isolates out of honour, there will be another xx number that will be in circulation around the ship. 

 

It was easier with mandates - it was clear cut. Now it is look after yourself, and hope that enough of your fellow passengers don't believe that sharing is caring. Not my opinion of how it should be, but the way it currently is - if you can't afford to catch covid, you can't afford to be cruising.

Yes I felt quite well on the ship and didn't consider testing until the very last night when I started to feel a bit sniffly (but by then our cases had gone with our test kits in them).  When I got home I tested more out of curiosity and was quite surprised to get a positive result.  Since then I have isolated but the symptoms have increased so wouldn't have wanted to go out anyway.  But I was likely positive during my last couple of days on the ship and didn't know it - just like @Jean C and no doubt countless others.    My husband has had it too and it has been just like a bad cold (a bit worse than we expected due to being fully vaccinated), but luckily we are both starting to feel better today.    

32 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Plus if it is raining or high humidity the airborne viruses cannot spread as far.

It was raining and humidity was very high.  Had it been dry and windy the viruses may have been blown away

2 hours ago, LindaMc said:

Thank you everyone. I appreciate the info.  Patch nine: I'm sorry you both got covid. We both got our booster shots recently and we are going to try to do whatever we can to not get sick since this is such a big trip for us.  We do have a few tender ports, so will take your advice on that. 

We also had our boosters just 3 weeks before we went and took precautions too like wearing masks on the plane beforehand and we avoided the lifts completely.  My husband didn't come on the tender and he didn't get it until a couple of days after me which is why I think that is where I picked it up.  It was raining on the way over to Airlie Beach which is why I didn't sit outside.  Other times I was able to and we usually do this.  We definitely noticed more people coughing around the ship during the last couple of days than we had at the beginning and on the last day there were more masks being worn so I suspect a lot of people caught it.

No test needed and not even the usual health questionnaire to fill in at the port.  But my husband and I got off the Coral Princess on Friday and both caught covid.  I tested positive when I arrived home and he just yesterday.  Luckily we were both well all the time we were on the ship and I first noticed symptoms as we were ready to disembark.  I believe I picked it up on a tender so if you have any tender trips would suggest you wear a mask. 

1 hour ago, Jean C said:

Some pics 😊

Lovely family photo Jean.  I certainly don't recall seeing your group around the ship.   It is funny but some people you just keep running into all the time and others you might talk to once and then you never see them again.  I guess a lot of people have routines as to when and where they eat etc. so if they are on your "schedule" you will keep seeing them.  On a cruise we did some time back there was a man (from Germany I think) who looked just like my brother and so we named him "John".  It became quite a joke wherever we went that we had to look for "John".  Whether we were eating, at a show, on a tour, it seemed "John" was always there 🙂

1 hour ago, Jean C said:

Decorations

How could I forget to mention that the atrium was beautifully decked out with Christmas decorations, along with beautifully decorated Christmas trees in the corridors around the atrium.  I particularly liked the cream themed tree in the atrium and the red tree outside the Wheelhouse Bar, the lights twinkled particularly brightly in the evening, with the corridor being that little bit darker - very magical 🎄 

Yes they were lovely weren't they, and they worked very hard all day.  Not long before we left Cairns they were frantically trying to get everything finished so they could leave the ship.  We were quite surprised at them starting halfway through as the last time we cruised at this time of year the decorators boarded as soon as we docked in Brisbane at the end of the cruise so obviously came from there.  Maybe with the new port being so far out it is easier to get the decorators on board in another port?  

7 hours ago, Jean C said:

Funny thing about covid - out of all our group just me and both my daughters caught it. Mine feels like a heavy, feverish and achy head cold ( without the runny nose). One daughter's sounds very similar, although her progression is a day or so behind mine. Other daughter had her booster in November, about 3 weeks before boarding. She is asymptomatic, however is testing positive! No males and no kids though!

Give the men time, Jean.  My husband has now come down with it!  

2 hours ago, Jean C said:

Funny thing about covid - out of all our group just me and both my daughters caught it. Mine feels like a heavy, feverish and achy head cold ( without the runny nose). One daughter's sounds very similar, although her progression is a day or so behind mine. Other daughter had her booster in November, about 3 weeks before boarding. She is asymptomatic, however is testing positive! No males and no kids though!

Hope you feel better soon Jean.  Mine feels like a head cold too - was very tired this morning (maybe I tried to do too much) but feeling a bit better this afternoon.  It must be the female strain of covid as my husband doesn't have any symptoms either.  We will both test again tomorrow.   I feel sure I caught it on the tender over to Airlie Beach (Sunday) as was in it for a long time and it was very stuffy and crowded and my husband didn't go.  This would tie in with when my first symptoms started (dry throat on waking on Wednesday morning).   I also had my booster just 3 weeks before boarding

Hope it doesnt develop much further Jean.  Like you I had never had covid before but luckily had a 5th booster about 3 weeks prior to the cruise.  I did notice the last couple of days that there were a lot more people around wearing masks and there did also seem to be a bit more coughing that we hadn't noticed earlier in the cruise.  We rarely walked the whole corridor on our desk (Baha) as were forward and usually used the forward stairs (DID NOT USE THE LIFT AT ALL!) but one day walked down to the Laundromat at the back and did notice just 2 tables outside cabins on our side much further along.  I am not feeling too bad but it has come out as a bit of a cold today so I do feel I have something.  Will isolate until I test negative and hope that won't take too long.   Like you my test was a very strong positive - the 2 lines appeared almost immediately.  I would assume there will be many people affected but of course some wont test and therefore wont know it which is how it spreads but as you say the symptoms can be so vague and easily attributed to something else (jetlag for you and the air con for me!).  Hope the kids are all OK though they probably wouldn't mind another few days off school 🙂 

@Jean C glad you enjoyed the cruise - we did too.  Did keep an eye out for a frazzled grandma with 6 kids but don't believe we saw you.  Thought maybe someone was you but the kids were boys and I know yours were nearly all girls.  However, I recommend you do a covid test when you get back as I have tested positive!  I was fine on the ship although a couple of mornings I woke up with a very dry throat - was fine once I got up and went outside so put it down to the air con in the cabin.  Then on the last night as I got ready for bed started to feel like I was getting a cold - would have tested then but our RATS were in our cases which had been collected.  Felt OK in the morning and then once I got home I felt fine - no symptoms at all and forgot about it until I was cooking tea and thought maybe I should test just in case.  So I did the test expecting it to be negative and was surprised when it gave a positive reading almost immediately.  My husband is OK so far.  We were very careful on the ship and even moved seats one night in a bar when a man nearby had a cough.  I think the most likely time I picked it up was on the tender over to Airlie Beach.  It was very crowded and stuffy and I did wish I had taken a mask with me.  My husband stayed on the ship so that is why I think I may have picked it up there.

We didn't have the package as we don't drink a lot and had a fair bit of OBC so just bought our drinks.  We took our two bottles of wine on with us for  drinking in the cabin and then usually had a beer/wine or cocktail before dinner then a wine with dinner and I had a diet coke every afternoon.  We also bought 2 bottles of duty free and I have this morning received our final account for the total amount of 51 cents!!!  (the 1 cent being the credit card surcharge).  So we are very glad we didn't shell out for the plus package as it would have been a complete waste of money.

We really liked the ship as it seemed there was so much more space and in particular seating, compared to other ships we had been on.  Did notice a few cutbacks compared to earlier cruises but overall it was a good cruise and we have purchased a future cruise deposit.  

14 minutes ago, Jean C said:

Hmmm, we would have liked to have booked adjacent cabins, but 4 berth minis were every second cabin - we're forward Caribe deck, port side (I particularly wanted covered balconies) - if you're nearby, you'll hear their "outside" voices, even though they'll be "inside". I pity the poor couples in between our cabins as I'm sure there'll be a lot of door knocking and chatter between our respective cabins 🥴

We are on the deck above you, also forward, portside.  Like you, we wanted a covered balcony but unfortunately were only able to book a guarantee.  Luckily we were allocated a covered one that we would have chosen ourselves had we been able to and have been constantly checking the past few weeks to make sure Princess hadn't decided to move us!

2 minutes ago, Jean C said:

Hi, yes, we're all excited and have started packing. None of the kids have cruised so they're all super excited (aged beyween 7 and 14, all girls but one). One set of parents cruised with Princess many years ago in an inside cabin, they love the "drinks around the pool" lifestyle, so are really looking forward to it. Other son-in-law isn't sure if he'll enjoy it, but I was sceptical before my first cruise, so I think once on board he'll change his mind. He's a bit more enthusiastic since a friend of his cruised recently and really enjoyed it. There are 12 of us altogether  so we have 3 x 4 berth balcony mini suites - 3rd and 4th passengers were free when we booked, so it worked out very reasonable. My first time in a mini suite, I hope it doesn't spoil me!

Our first time in a mini suite too - they seemed to be cheaper on the Coral - possibly more of them ? - so not a lot more than the balconies.   

2 hours ago, Jean C said:

Woohoo, ours too 🙃 We're flying in that morning so will be at the cruise terminal around 11am. Family (and rug rats) are driving up from the Gold Coast and will be there at a similar time - although there'll wait for whoever takes the hire vehicles back to their base and will Uber in.

 

We were at the terminal last year when, because of an arrival of the ship delay, boarding was pretty chaotic. However we're also platinum and we're on board, along with friends we met along the way (the mum was offered a wheelchair so they got priority too), in no time.

 

There wasn't much seating downstairs, it seemed more of a herding area (bearing in mind the chaos we struck and the nos of people all arriving at once - all seats were taken and people were crowded  shoulder to shoulder), but once upstairs there were rows and rows and rows of seats. Being something of an observant person (at times), I saw where people were being picked to join the queue for the next stages, ie going up the escalator then scanning etc, so we placed ourselves conveniently nearby.

 

Getting so excited - PS, the rug rats are all good kids, it's just that if they get excited their volume control doesn't work so well 🤣

Yes it is feeling real now.  Seems so long since we last cruised.  Hope the kids enjoy themselves - have they cruised before?

3 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

Perhaps check out but leave your bags at the hotel for a few hours. If it is a airport hotel, you could get the free shuttle to the DFO.

We are staying overnight at the Kingsford Smith Motor Inn as they offer a free shuttle to the terminal (but only to the end of this year!).  Maybe if we are notified of late boarding they may delay the departure of their shuttles. 

@MicCanberra I challenge you to get my husband to visit a shopping centre 🙂 

20 minutes ago, arxcards said:

On a good day, check-in opens around an hour earlier than the advertised time. On a bad day, anything that delays embarkation will see 1000 passengers trying to line-up for check-in before 12:30. Let's hope it is a good day for you.

 

Not your dine in type of Cafe, but there is a coffee shop there. We haven't tried it yet, but were more than happy with the caravan that used to set-up out the front. I suspect they have been asked to move on.

Yes let us hope for a good day!  At least at the old Portside terminal if there were any delays you could go for a wander around the shops or go and find a seat down by the river to sit and wait.  But with the new terminal you probably won't know what the story is until you arrive there and then you are trapped!

My QR Code appeared last night!  It says check in window 12.30 - 3.00.  We are getting the 10am shuttle from our motel to the terminal in Brisbane so will probably be there about 10.30.  Does check in start earlier than 12.30?  We are platinum so have priority boarding.  We have not been to the new terminal before but I think I read there is now a cafe there.  

54 minutes ago, Jean C said:

Thanks for the suggestion, will definitely ask. At the buffet the kids will definitely fill up on bread rolls (even I can't resist eating more than 1), fries and cake! Not mine to worry about, thankfully. I'll be the frazzled Nana pretending I don't know them!

Are the kids booked into the same MDR (there are 2 on the Coral)?  If their parents did the bookings then this could be the case 🤣

3 minutes ago, Jean C said:

Something I thought interesting @patch nine was that when booking the MDR for each night, I was able to book a table for 6 for the adults, and on behalf of the eldest rug rat (logged in as her via booking no, name and DOB) she booked a separate table for the 6 rug rats! Hopefully we don't end up on different sides of the MDR, hehehe. You've been warned 🤣

That will be interesting - don't suppose many vegies will get eaten but plenty of ice cream no doubt 😂

21 minutes ago, arxcards said:

It breaks down differently for everyone, so it is really good to calculate if unsure.

 

For us, plus is purely Internet & drinks. Forget all the other bloat If you are elite, the internet part is worth $10 per day, or $20 if not. So I just work out if $55 covers a "normal" day of coffee, a bottle of water.

 

We have done 2x premier so far, and got value out of them. Two specialty meals & 3 photo prints each (if that part is of interest) applies equally whether you are doing a 3 night cruise or a 35 night cruise. On a sliding scale, there is value on a 3 night cruise, very expensive for anything over a week. Note that the Princess Prizes has recently disappeared from the Aussie Premier package with no fanfare.

 

One other to consider is OBC. What do you plan to spend it on? If your tours are covered and you already have a houseful of souvenirs, the OBC can become your bar tab. If elite, you also have a minibar. 

 

If you are in a suite, you will get heaps of bottled water included and a mini-bar (doubled if also elite). If you have a suite on the newer ships (Majestic, Royal, Discovery etc), you will also have gratis evening drinks in the concierge lounge.

 

OBC + minibar + BYO = a tipping point for many in buying a drink package. As a rule of thumb, unless you get an obvious benefit, pay as you go. Princess plus usually works in our favour, but these $100 per day packages on the other lines are way OTT.

Yes we have OBC with nothing to spend it on apart from drinks so do not have the package as we are not big drinkers. We will take a couple of bottles of wine on board with us and then whatever we end up paying on top of the OBC will not be anything close to the extra for the package.  Had we not had any OBC we may have considered it although I think I would be tempted to drink more than I usually do just to get my money's worth!

1 hour ago, Jean C said:

PS, we don't have our QR codes yet either. As long as you take along as backup your hard copy cruise summary or some other proof (screenshot of booking) they'll be happy and won't send you away 😊 On our last cruise a year or so ago everyone's QR codes disappeared from the app, so a screen shot if and when it appears is worth having. I did that and also waved around my hard copy booking, showing loyalty level 🙂

I have hard copies of everything.  Never trust technology to work when it should!

20 minutes ago, Jean C said:

Hi @patch nine, I think you're on the same cruise as us (24 Nov) - look out for the frazzled grandma with 6 rug rats in tow - their parents will be on board but will probably be enjoying themselves too much to notice if they're being a nuisance! 🥴

Thanks for the warning! 😆🏃‍♀️