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Kangakid

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Posts posted by Kangakid

  1. 2 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

    Thanks for your enjoyable review.  As a lover of seafood, prawns and Alaskan Crab Craw things sound appealing.  Can you please explain the latter, small and fat or long and thing?  Did they also have wild salmon?

    I may just have to settle for Pete's at The Spit for me fresh seafood. 

    What was the cost for a solo versus a double?

    Marion, the prawns were a decent size, they had them next to the Alaskan Crab claws which were long and thin.  They also had garlic prawns in the buffet one day as well, I can attest the prawns were yummy.  I didn’t try the Salmon, but did have cod bites and sole (which was rolled) all very yummy.

    I am not sure of the cost for a single room.  But I wouldn’t hesitate in getting an interior on Disney we have always sailed in balcony rooms, but on Disney activities on the go all day until 11pm.  We were only ever in our room to shower and get changed for dinner…

     

    cheers V

  2. Hi All - just back from the 4 day cruise on Disney Wonder.

    We were a family of 10 (3 families, Son & Wife and 2 children (11yo, 4yo) and Daughter and her Husband and 2 children (8 yo & 3yo).

    We had 3 verandah rooms between us.  Ian and I had a double room and the rest had a room that could hold 4.  They utilise the sofa for one bed and a drop down bunk for the other bed. The verandah staterooms - have a bathroom with a shower over the bath and handbasin and a separate toilet room with handbasin in there.  The quality fittings in the bathrooms were some of the best we have seen in our over 20 cruises to date.

    The ship was absolutely immaculate throughout - for a ship that is 24 yo it was in pristine condition.  Disney obviously put a lot of effort in maintaining the ship.  To say we were impressed with the maintenance of the ship is an understatement.  

    The ship has an adults only area (pool, hot tubs, bar and coffee shop) they also have 2 bar areas (Cadillacs and the Pub)which are also adult only venues.  I was surprised that they had many activities during the day for adults only.

    The kids are catered for extremely well as you would expect from Disney.  The queues to meet the characters were loooong - sometimes over 1.5hour wait to see a favourite character.  But everyone was in good spirits.  The staff inform you if there is a cut off point - so you can go elsewhere and see another character if you miss out on that particular time.  The character viewings are numerous during the day and night - so it can be a bit of wait with queuing and standing for long periods.

    Food - you are rotated through 3 restaurants for dinner.   You will have the same wait staff that follow you from restaurant to restaurant.  Have to say the restaurants can be quite chaotic.  There is 2 dinner times early (5.45pm and 8.00pm).   No buffet is open for dinner -Cabanas the buffet is open for breakfast and lunch only.  We found the food fine- they had plenty of seafood available at lunches - (prawns and Alaskan crab claw things) never seen these on other cruises.  They have a roast and Mexican - along with typical buffet fare.  They had more than enough to satisfy your needs, not. a huge choice but still plenty to eat.

    They also have food areas outside the pool area - such as pizza, burgers, hot dogs and souvlaki.  There is also a section that does salads and nice sandwiches and those poke bowls that are very popular.  All soft drinks are included in the cruise fare.  Also the ever popular soft serve ice cream.

    Shows - were absolutely brilliant the best we have seen- they are full production shows - not just the usual song and dance you get on main stream lines.  Absolutely top class.

    They had fireworks on 2 nights on our cruise - Marvel Hero night and Pirate Night - these shows are held on Deck 9 followed by a fire work display -these shows were also top class.  It was a bit chilly on deck and the wait time was over an hour if you wanted to get a spot where you could see.

    We really enjoyed our Disney cruise - I was a bit hesitate before boarding as the price was so expensive - it cost us for 2 of us in the verandah stateroom over  $US2,900.00 for the 4 night cruise (this included gratuities of $US14.50 per person per day).

    Now for the million dollar question - would we as grandparents do this again - probably not  but never say never- but I am sure my grandchildren would definitely do it again.

     

    Cheers V

     

    • Like 6
    • Thanks 7
  3. 4 hours ago, shireboi said:

     

    If this is the 'gratuity' - then simply see about not paying this - or reduce that amount.  It's outrageous that they are slugging everyone in the room for the same amount - for the same amount of 'service' (like what are you honestly going to get done in your room for 4 nights ??  what .. new sheets, a bit of clean, anything else ?????) 

     

    https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/australia-new-zealand/?#:~:text=VACATION FARE&text=Guests may request to adjust,the end of the cruise.

     

    Don't get 'guilted' into paying this - Disney are charging big $$$$$$

     

    The optional gratuity for your assigned cruise stateroom and dining hosts will be automatically added to the onboard cruise folio on embarkation day. Guests may request to adjust or remove this optional gratuity before the end of their cruise. Simply call or visit the cruise ship's Guest Services Desk while you are onboard, any time prior to disembarking at the end of the cruise. If available on your vessel, you can use the Disney Cruise Line Navigator mobile application (the "Mobile App") to review your onboard cruise folio during your cruise. More information on optional gratuities can be found at /faq/onboard-services/gratuities/.

    I know we can get the gratuity adjusted, but we have never done this and won’t start now, if only the AUD was playing a bit nicer than it currently is, it wouldn’t be so much of a hit.  I do wish the gratuity was for adults or kids over say 12.  We have 4 under 10 so it seems excessive….que sera, we choose to cruise so just have to bite the bullet…but am hoping the cruise will be memorable and worth all the extra dollars…

    • Like 2
  4. 4 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said:

    I love high tea but even as an adult I would opt out at those prices. 

     

    Would love it if you came back to this post after your cruise to report the positive & negatives.  We are not a Disney family but would be very interested to read of your & your family’s experiences on board.

    Definitely will report back, as it’s a lot of dosh we are putting up, so I am sure the experience will be worth it (says she through gritted teeth)

    • Like 3
    • Thanks 1
  5. 9 hours ago, Sparky74 said:

    DW is a Disney fan and we were excited when Disney announced they were coming to Australia. I went green around the gills when I saw the prices! 😱🤑💸💸💸

    Too expensive for us I’m afraid. Their market is obviously a more affluent demographic. I'll stick to hunting for bargains on inferior, I mean interior, guarantee cabins on other lines. 🤷‍♂️

    Sparky, I know, but the big kids and their kids are huge Disney fans, so we have bitten the bullet, but gosh Disney certainly know how to charge….let’s hope everyone has a fabulous time and Bass Strait plays nice for trip…

    • Like 3
  6. We have a 4 night Disney cruise planned for this November.  It’s our whole family so there will be 10 of us on board.  It’s definitely not cheap, but it’s Disney so with young grandkids who all love Disney, it’s was a no brainer.  Our TA booked when the booking window was opened, we were lucky and got good staterooms.  But gosh, the extras that come with it….$14.50USD per day per person so for us $USD58 per day per room $USD232 per cruise so nearly $366AUD.  High Tea with cast members was going to cost $240USD per child (we opted out of this, can’t imagine any high tea worth this type of money).   At this stage this will be our last Disney cruise, can’t see how the money justifies the cruise, but I may be surprised and will report once we return.  As a family we cruise once a year and usually with Royal and have cruised Princess with the family as well.  Wish me luck and hopefully the cc doesn’t take too much of a hit…🤞🏻

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    • Haha 1
  7. Womble99, just recently returned from a Azamara cruise (my 2nd).  My husband hadn’t sailed on them previously but we have completed a few Oceania Cruises.

    Azamara would definitely be on my list.  My husband loved the small ship experience.  Our cruise only had 480 pax out of a max of around 695.  We found the crew great, food good to very good.  The drinks that are included are certainly more than enough for us my husband drinks beer predominantly and found he didn’t have any problems with the beers included.  I love a cocktail and found the included drinks fine.  I have also recently completed a Viking cruise.  Enjoyed that very much as well.  Ships very sleek, staff very welcoming.  Food was good, not fantastic.  Wine is included with meals at lunch and dinner.  We love the smaller ships.  But saying that we have never not enjoyed a cruise, just some more than others.

    • Like 2
  8. On 5/1/2023 at 12:39 PM, Sallyandtex said:

    Just been looking online, there's some that are 2000w versus 1200w. 220 to 240 v here in Australia. Thinking of the 2000w to buy but will the ships voltage etc handle it, I mean will it be a waste to get the 2000, just go with the 1200?


    Katrina, you may need to check and see if Pursuit has Euro or British outlet plug, as the US one is only 120volt and your Aussie appliance works on 240volt and will only be half as powerful, so I usually use Euro or British outlet if available as they are usually 220volt.  Unless you get a travel hair dryer that has a switch which you can change to either volt…maybe check them out…..cheers Vicki 

  9. Anjo, have sailed on Cunard 4 times, and recently completed my first PO cruise.

    No comparisons really, although we enjoyed our cruise on PO and had no complaints really, food was very average but the speciality dining was very good.  Cunard you will find all meals very good.  The buffet for lunch was fabulous, you have a very good variety and the MDR of an evening is really good.  You have the same dining partners each night, so you really build up a relationship with them and also your waiters.  I found Cunard offered a variety of activities.  Heaps of places to just chill out.  If you read the library is the best at sea.  I would definitely not hesitate booking Cunard.  We never found anyone snobby at all.  
    cheers Vicki

    • Like 1
  10. definitely do not be worried.  We too cruised our 1st PO cruise in November and definitely would not hesitate in booking them again.  We found the food good and Luke’s especially fantastic equal to any meal in any fine restaurant.  At night after dinner we would head to the Blue room (I think) and have a cocktail and listen to the music, it was never packed, and an older group.  The lounge (Encounter/Adventure) was very very busy every night so the Blue room suited us.  
    I am sure you will enjoy.  We didn’t expect much and PO delivered much much more…we didn’t do the dress up nights, and found we weren’t out of place, some did dress up but the majority didn’t.

    • Like 1
    • Shuyak, I have cruised PO UK on their Norway 7 night cruise before Covid on PO Britannia.  They are now using PO Iona for this cruise.  We had a fantastic cruise, happy with everything on offer from room to food.  We ate mainly in the MDR and buffet,  we definitely wouldn’t hesitate to cruise with them again. But this year we have opted for longer Norway intensive cruise on Azamara.  I don’t think you will be disappointed with PO UK.  Our TA here in Australia booked this cruise as I believe booking direct with PO UK is cumbersome for those not residing in the UK.
    • Thanks 1
  11. Margo, RCI Quantum sails from Brisbane and that would be a great option.  We have recently sailed Coral Princess and thought it was good, we would sail with them again.  We have sailed Sapphire Princess out of Southampton  and wasn’t overly impressed, so Coral did surprise us.  We are cruising on PO Encounter next week, so can’t comment on the comparison yet.   
     

    cheers Vicki

  12. I have a bit of experience re this…a work colleague had an episode and was rushed to a hospital in NYC.  They were treated and spent many days in hospital on the assurance that the bill would be covered.  So he was treated and managed without the hospital actually requiring details of insurance cover.  Eventually bill was provided on discharge from hospital in excess of $150K.  So not the doom and gloom of USA system we had once thought.  Care was provided.  Bill was covered by insurance and his employer.

    • Like 1
  13. Cruise lines have been sailing in Aust since mid year and requirement as per the Eastern Seaboard Protocols allow for self administered RAT [antigen] test 24 hours prior to boarding.  MVJ indicates the same protocols for sailings from Aust.  I know that the cruise that left Hawaii and headed to Aust are requiring test every morning.  It appears Viking have instigated these protocols themselves as they are definitely not a requirement of the Aust Government. 

     

    cheers Vicki 

    • Like 1
  14. Viking are insisting on a Certified RAT (antigen) test  completed 24 hours before embarkation on this cruise.  The Australian Government under the Eastern Seaboard & WA protocols for cruise ships embarking from Australia state Self Administered RAT test completed 24 hours prior to embarkation..  I have emailed Viking on several occasions to get clarification as MVJ indicates Self Administered test are required, but a recent email sent indicated certified test to be completed.  Would anyone have any insight as to why Viking’s protocols vary from both the MVJ and Aust Government protocols?

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