Kangakid

Have accepted a “move over” offer for our 18 December cruise.  Swapped our deluxe balcony for an obstructed view and have been offered a considerable OBC.  Couldn’t refuse as I thought the offer was generous.  TA advised Princess over sold this cruise it appears they are doing this more frequently anticipating last minute cancellations which are not happening.

We have dropped off rental at Hertz at the docks, near the Holiday Inn and then picked up a rental from Europcar after our cruise we walked from the ship to the car rental with our luggage in tow, both were quite close will check out which dock as there are two main docks, both rental companies were near the holiday inn Southampton.  Hope this info helps.....

Definitely like some info on ships refurb, especially those sailing out of Aust.  Also do enjoy reading reviews as views can vary greatly, so getting a broad range of feedback is a good thing.   Also just general tips on hidden gems on ships eg great reading spots, hanging out spots.  

Cheers V

Jim_Iain, keenly interested in your TA as will be cruising on Shilouette in July 2019.  Have only been on one other Celebrity ship, Solstice as she visits us down under every summer season (Oct-Apr), and really enjoyed that cruise and all she offered.  So will be following along your wonderful cruise.  All I can say about your suite is wow and wow.  Love all the photos.  If you have any tips for us relatively newbies on Celebrity please share.

take care....cheers V

Have a look at Apex Hotels, they have 2 in London.  We stayed close to St James Square and thought Sofitel St James was ideally located.  We actually stayed in Rubens at the Palace.  Great location, but hotel wasn’t to our taste.

David can you add me

18 December 2018 Majestic Princess Auk to Mel

Cheers V

HI if you are referring to menus in cafes, tavernas etc yes they will be in Euros for those countries that demonisation is Euro, but some countries have their own currency Croatia for example. Is that what you were after?

Cheers V

Lovestx, we have to fly to Melb following most cruises and 11am is certainly doable, especially on either a Saturday or Sunday, but on weekdays with the chaotic Sydney traffic 12 noon would give you more wriggle room just in case you hit delays. But if you are prepared to catch the train (not too much luggage) that is also a great option. We always arrange a car service as getting taxis can involve long delays in the taxi queues, and stress that we will miss our flight.

FunforGin easy straight walk, but the cobblestone can be an issue especially if you don't have 4 wheel suitcases, these are much easier to handle on the cobblestone. I have done it with 2 wheeled and 4 wheeled and 4 wheeled is now my preferred suitcase. I would say it would be about 10 mins, but plenty of chairs to stop and enjoy the view if you need to rest for a minute or two. There is no rush so just take your time. But an option could be taxi from the airport as if there are 2 of you the fare is around $19 each (some one may confirm this) and taxi fare could be approx $45 roughly...food for thought...cheers V

Yep FunforGin done exactly what you are proposing, flew into Sydney got train to Circular Quay, walked over to OPT dropped our luggage then spent a good few hours exploring Sydney before heading back to OPT to board ship, and just walked right on, no queues at all easiest embarkation. Cheers V

Sincere thanks Chez for bringing all of us along with you and Andy, you have been very generous with answering many questions that have been asked of you, I for one really have enjoyed reading all your posts, so once again a big thank you....cheers V

Have sailed twice on VOS in February, definitely more kids than we expected, but it is a family ship, we had our 3 yo GC and that gave us a great excuse to visit the dream works parade..yep big kids...the windjammer can get pretty busy at breakfast, but timing has a lot to do with that. Definitely get prior to cruise drink package if you are going to get one as Mic says Aussie dollar before US once on board. Keep an eye on the website as we found sometimes they have a special for drink packages, and if you can snap up one of these works out great value.

Thanks Michael for taking the time to post amazing photos and great insight into the ports and plenty of great ideas of what to do in each port and names of preferred cafes etc. haven't sailed on Oceania for a few years now, but think it's about time I spoiled myself and get back to Oceania.

We sailed on Ovation in Feb and had the dividers open from day 1 we just asked our stateroom attendant, no problem at all. :)

I find the best day is when we are in port, I usually have one day when no early excursion planned and try to get laundry completed just before lunch. No guarantee as this plan has failed at times. Laundry battles are real and have had many incidents on many cruise lines. Good luck is all I can say..;)

Thanks Oz will go back and see if any still available...V

Anyone purchased the noise cancelling headphones? Are they any good? I know $40 is pretty cheap, but a bargain is only good value if it works well, any thoughts, I'm tempted but......

Definitely agree with Toryhere, check out Hamilton Island as an option, Whitehaven Beach is one Island worth seeing. You are much closer to the GBR for day tours, you are not spending a couple of hours on a boat getting to great diving/snorkelling tours. Both Qantas and Virgin have daily flights.

Lahore, Mecca Cosmetics now stock Elemis, not sure if the whole range or not, but Elemis Aust are based out of the Gold Coast and you can buy on line with them. I use Elemis after being introduced on cruises, love the facial products but haven't tried their hair care range yet. Cheers V

Safe travels see you on board, I also received the email from Azamara re change to OPT. Now hopefully we also get a change in Brisbane from the Grain Terminal to Portside....

Esilef, I would suggest the same as Rose call the customer service number and relay the story, saying you would prefer the earlier time as you have a cruise booked. If you wait until getting to the airport the customer service reps may be inundated in the day, and those with higher ff status will get preferential allocations, but saying that if the phone contact doesn't bring you joy, I would then try again at the airport.

Absolutely great review Tara, much appreciate you taking the time to review so comprehensively. Will be sailing on Journey in March for the first time. Looking forward very much to experiencing the Azamara difference. I have cruised a few times on Oceania, so keen to compare both cruiselines, which seem to compete for the same market. Is Discoveries the MDR?

Cheers V

Anyone boarding in Sydney I have just noticed our local Woolworths has Fever Free Tonic, may be worth checking out Woolworths in Sydney CBD, if you have the time.

With all the issues that Lahore had to go through with respect to her booking - I am now greatly concerned as I too have booked a "guarantee" for the Syd-Sing cruise leaving on 7 March. We have been allocated a and provided with that stateroom number. But if this unfortunate issue could happen so easily to another cruiser what is stopping this from occurring to me and in fact anyone else who has booked a guarantee stateroom. I am feeling very anxious by the events that occurred to Lahore and until I am finally on board Journey I will feel at unease and not comfortable with my decision of choosing to cruise with Azamara.

Please everyone fingers crossed that this occurrence does not happen to anyone else two days out from a cruise.

I am so glad the issue for Lahore has been resolved but the anxiety and stress that she would have been going through is not something anyone should go through - when we book a cruise we should be all smiles and laughter from the moment we book until the end of the cruise (then of course tears are allowed because the cruise is over, and we must go back to cooking, washing, work etc..).....

I would love some assurance from Azamara this was an an anomaly and is not the usual way Azamara conduct themselves)....

Cheers V.

Thanks to everyone who responded. I am just one of those persons who like to be well prepared. My evening is not scheduled until March, so maybe after the comments from those attending this most recent evening plans may change closer to the date, but if not I am sure it will still be a great experience. Thanks all V.