Wisconsin Travelers

We've done the Chef's Table on 2 different Princess ships, 1 Carnival and 1 Holland America.  It's like a culinary excursion instead of an excursion off the ship - exceptionally good food and wine, small group of nice people (limited to 12 passengers on Princess) and lots of fun.  We will be sailing the Majestic out of Sydney in a couple of weeks and hope to book the Chef's Table on that cruise.  Definitely go for it at least once - you won't be disappointed!

On 8/8/2019 at 5:29 PM, OzKiwiJJ said:

I do understand your concerns however the convenience store ATM in Port Chalmers is an ANZ bank operated one.  ANZ is one of the major banks in NZ. I don't think there are any bank branches in Port Chalmers these days, just ATMs and, in smaller towns, banks do use stores to place their machines, or even have free-standing ones.

 

And if you ever go to Japan the only places that you'll find ATMs that accept international cards are in convenience stores.

 

I'm fairly certain you'll be OK with AUD for the shuttle. 

Thanks for your post, OzKiwi.  We'll  be going to Japan next September, so I'll remember where to find ATM machines!  Last time I was there we were still using traveler's checks and I went to the local bank every day to cash one.

Mr. Gut, I have now added Lolly Gobble Bliss Bombs to my growing souvenir list!  In nearly every country's grocery store I have visited I've found some of the most bizarre items.  Grocery shopping internationally can be quite entertaining.  Google shows lots of photos of the Lolly Gobble packaging which brings me back to my high school days!  Thanks for the laugh.

So candy with a non-food item is being prohibited by the U.S.  That makes me wonder how they have allowed Cracker Jack to be sold here since 1896.  In case you folks in Oz or NZ aren't familiar with Cracker Jack, here's how Wikipedia describes it:

Cracker Jack is an American brand of snack consisting of molasses-flavored, caramel-coated popcorn and peanuts, well known for being packaged with a prize of trivial value inside. The Cracker Jack name was registered in 1896.

The "prize of trivial value" might be a little plastic whistle, a tiny doll, etc.  Sounds to me like Kinder Eggs are being discriminated against!

10 minutes ago, Docker123 said:

 

This is my all time favourite when discussing commonly allowable things when crossing borders.

 

Kinder Surprises, off the shelf at Coles or Woolies, are illegal imports to the USA. 

A newspaper quote:

 

The official fine for each Kinder Egg you attempt to bring into America is $2,500, and 60,000 Kinder Eggsare confiscated each year by those trying to smuggle them across the border from Canada and abroad.

 

  Ok, I'll bite!  What the heck is a Kinder Egg?  I live in the U.S. and now I'm really curious.  I guess this is an item I shouldn't try to bring back as a souvenir for the grandkids?!!

Please excuse this lengthy response.  On another thread that I started about bringing food products into NZ, the conversation moved into comments about medications.  I took the liberty of copying a couple of those comments and am posting them under this thread because I believe the posters have important information that people with an interest in this topic should be aware of.

Poster:  Oh, please tell me the original containers are not necessary when coming into Sydney!  so much bulk!

In the past when traveling to Europe, we have taken a Digital photo of Rx bottle showing our name, prescription name, and dosage, as well as putting a pill next to container.  Will this suffice for Australia so that we can leave the bulky containers at home?  

My Response:  I hope your idea of digital photos is acceptable because that would make life a whole lot easier for us too!  From what I've read on the Australia government website and immigration site, it sounds like they want the whole gigantic container, PLUS a prescription or letter from your doctor listing the name and dosage of each medication.

Let's see what people on the board have to say and keep our fingers crossed!

Another Poster:  We went to New Zealand a couple of years ago and I thought nothing about my blood pressure and cholesterol tablets.

When we landed ,the customs card asked if I had personal medication, I ticked yes.  Talk about a ordeal.

 I had the two original boxes in my hand with my name on the boxes

 Me and my family were taken into a room and two people with gloves and masks open the boxes. They wanted some further documentation ( which I didn’t have )and I said I didn’t think these would be a issue. They are a common medicine.

They said they are a controlled substance by prescription.

After the supervisor come in and said if we take them of me it will only give me hardship as I would have go find a doctor and get more.

They let me go with a caution.

 ORIGINAL PACKAGE AND PRESCRIPTION.

 Singapore chewing gum is controlled and codeine will put you trouble.

Chiliburn and GloriaF:

I hope you don't mind that I copied your comments and posted them on another thread regarding bringing medicine into NZ or Australia.  I think both of you have made some excellent points that more people should be aware of.  Since this thread is about instant coffee, I think lots of people would never read your posts because they don't realize that the conversation about food products has moved into a conversation about medications.  The place I posted your comments is under Australia and New Zealand Cruisers and the title of the thread is something about bringing Melatonin into New Zealand.

Thanks for your insights!

Gloria, I hope your idea of digital photos is acceptable because that would make life a whole lot easier for us too!  From what I've read on the Australia government website and immigration site, it sounds like they want the whole gigantic container, PLUS a prescription or letter from your doctor listing the name and dosage of each medication.

Let's see what people on the board have to say and keep our fingers crossed!

6 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Port Chalmers is used to cruise ships coming into port directly from Australia, at least half of the cruises that stop there come that way, so I doubt there would be any issues paying in AU. Hard to confirm exactly as you haven't mentioned what cruise line you are on. However there is an ATM on the main street of Port Chalmers, outside a convenience store (according to Google Maps), if you really need NZ cash.

We're on Princess.  If this shuttle picks us up at the dock and takes us into Dunedin, I'm going with the assumption that we can use our AU Dollars for the cost of the shuttle and pick up NZ Dollars at an ATM in Dunedin. 

I don't know about others, but whenever possible I like to use an ATM that's part of a bank rather than a convenience store.  Somehow I always feel like people can "monkey around" with ATMs that aren't with a bank - turned out that's what happened to us in Florence.  Someone put a "skimmer" inside the ATM machine where you insert your card so they could read all your card info AND your pin.  We ended up with someone at O'Hare Airport in Chicago trying to get cash with our card number while we were in Italy!

You guys are great!  Except for my question about NZ dollars in our first port, I think we're all set now for our trip Down Under.

Thanks.  BTW, don't give a hoot about abs but LOVE kielbasa!

Thanks for the info.  Maybe someone who recently took this cruise can confirm if it's still AU or NZ in cash.

Our first port in New Zealand from Sydney is Dunedin where I understand a local shuttle is available from Port Chalmers into the city for something like 20 NZ Dollars.  Since we won't have NZ currency yet, will they take AU Dollars?  Or credit card?  I guess there isn't an ATM in Port Chalmers, so how can this be handled?  Thanks for the assistance.

5 hours ago, buchhalm said:

As others said, DECLARE  anything you consume. Worst case they will take it off you and very politely explain why xyz is not allowed.  No trouble or fines.

Coffee in SEALED packaging is ok. Candy, chocolate etc is ok. Anything containing HONEY is not allowed.

Many times my airline colleagues were caught out for not declaring food items on their incoming passenger card and immediately fined. Usually passengers are just given a warning and the items are confiscated. But airline crew should know better.

There was always one with "Just an apple/cup noodles/mars bar". Otherwise legal or not,  if it's not declared,  they were on trouble. Good!

 

And by the way, we DO have Starbucks in Australia. 

I'm sure you have Starbucks in Australia - they seem to be worldwide, just like McDonald's!  Unfortunately, they don't have Starbucks on the ship.  The instant Starbucks (sold as Starbucks Via in the U.S.) isn't as good as "real" Starbucks, but it's not bad for instant.  And thanks for the warning about honey . . . that rules out our favorite granola bars for snacks.  Oh well, it's not likely that we'd fade away to nothing without them! LOL

We are flying into Sydney for our Princess cruise to New Zealand.  Because of all the "cautions" I've read about on this board, we have obtained letters from our doctors listing our prescription meds including dosage, and I will be bringing them in original containers (which are HUGE compared to what I normally carry).  But what about instant Starbucks coffee packets?  Are they considered a food product?  Much as we have enjoyed several Princess cruises and their specialty coffees, we find their standard "free" coffee to be horrible!  Just wondering if we need to declare this on our entry documentation.

I got my email notification from the NZeTA today, August 6.  But I went on their website August 4 and was able to fill out the online applications and we got our approvals within an hour.  Very simple to do.

We will be flying into Sydney for our cruise to New Zealand.  Is there a similar law in Australia regarding prescription and over the counter medications?

MicCanberra, I'll take you up on your offer to pursue this further!  Please contact me directly at barbaramae813 at yahoo dot com.  I'll give you the price of the cruise and category on whatever day you email me and then you can check on your end for the price on the same day (well, I guess a little different based on the International Dateline)!  I booked the cruise a long time ago and got a very favorable price, so I'm not complaining about what I'm paying.  The whole thing is just a matter of principle to me - seems to me that Aussies, Kiwis, Brits, etc. should be paying the same price for the cruise if they book it on the same day as Yanks, etc.  Thanks.

Santa Fe, if you had read my prior posting, you would see that my Aussie friend took screen shots of what the cruise was being offered for that day in Australia, and I went to the company website to see what they were selling the cruise for that day in the U.S.  The difference was substantial.

SloopSailor, I agree that it doesn't seem logical for a cruise line to sell a cruise for less money in one country than another.  I'm just saying that what the cruise line was selling the cruise for in Australia on a particular day was considerably less than what they were selling it for in the U.S.  The reasoning behind the strategy for that particular day is beyond my comprehension.  Obviously cruise lines are in business to make money.  I don't profess to understand what the situation is with the particular cruise I booked, but from everything I can find and determine, it appears that our Australian counterparts are not paying the same as we are for an identical product.

We booked our cruise several months ago and apparently you have to book from the country where you live.  

All of this came up when I discovered that my OBC (another perk when I booked) was going to be in Australian Dollars, so instead of the $200 U.S. per person, I'll be getting 200 AUD on board, which is equal to approximately $140 in U.S. dollars.  And my shareholder credit is also less than it would be if we were traveling anywhere else in the world.  I guess it's a "live and learn" situation!

For those of you who think that Aussies and Kiwis pay more for their cruise because the gratuities are "built in", you are mistaken.  Last week an Aussie friend sent me screen shots from the cruise line's web pages indicating their fares for the same cruise we are taking.  He also sent the pages showing what was included in the cruise fare, and gratuities were not part of the deal.  I looked at the webpage here in the U.S. to see what the difference was.  Well, my friends, based on the day's exchange rate, the identical cruises were not even close to comparable.  The Aussie fare was equivalent to $431.27 LESS than the U.S. fare, plus the Aussie would receive 50 AUD onboard credit per person!  So if we booked the cruise on that day, U.S. citizens would pay $431.27 PLUS $188.50 gratuities each for the identical cruise.  For a couple, that amounts to $1,239.54!!

All of this being said, I'm sure we'll have a wonderful time on the two cruises we have booked Down Under.  And the cruiseline will be divying up the tips according to their program.  Since the locals aren't tipping (and I have no idea how many of them recognize how hard the staff works and will tip them), sounds to me like the tips from the small number of passengers from elsewhere who are taking these cruises can hardly make a dent in the wages of the crew.

I know that I can have automatic gratuities removed from my shipboard account, but what about prepaid gratuities that I receive through a cruise line promotion?  I have never removed gratuities in the past, but I have just learned that on my two upcoming Australia cruises, anyone booking the same cruise in Australia or New Zealand does not have gratuities added to their account - only those of us who book outside of those two countries!  Doesn't seem fair to me that I should pay gratuities when my fellow passengers who are "local" do not - and incidentally, it appears that the majority of the passengers on these cruises are locals!  I'd much rather tip those employees who make my cruise great and not those "behind the scenes" people the cruise lines tell you that share in the tips.

So if I go to the purser's desk and tell them to remove the prepaid gratuities, do they credit that money back to my account or does the company just pocket the money?  Has anyone ever removed prepaid gratuities?  Thanks for your input.

56 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

As a previous poster mentioned,  the cost of a specialty dining meal is the same number of Aussie dollars as US dollars, so it will effectively cost you less. Drinks do not have an 18% gratuity - the price on the menu is what you will be charged, but it is higher than you are used to seeing.

 

Sorry to mention gratuities. People who book in Aust or NZ do not have gratuities added to their account. People who book elsewhere in the world do. 

Well, this is an interesting aside!  If people in Aust or NZ don't have gratuities added to their account, then are they still on the old-fashioned envelope system with recommendations of what amount to tip each of the service people at the end of the voyage?  Or do they simply not tip?!

I certainly hope it's the former, and not the latter!  First of all, those service people work REALLY hard to give all of us a great cruise experience.  Secondly, I'd be pretty irritated to learn that all of the Americans and Europeans are automatically paying tips and our down under counterparts are not.  What's the deal on this?

1 hour ago, Ombud said:

In reading the INITIAL sentence and separating it from the rest, I get your point. It's not so much a "buyer beware" as a "buyer be aware" and plan expenses accordingly  .... especially if someone was NOT planning on spending anything other than the initial fare. 

 

Won't stop me from visiting down under at a price point I'm comfortable with 

Ombud, you are exactly correct.  It is a case of Buyer BE Aware.  FYI, when I booked these cruises there was absolutely no language about the OBC being in Australian dollars - it just appeared that way on my booking confirmation.  It was my fault to not pay attention to it.  And it was my fault for assuming that my shareholder credit would be in U.S. Dollars, not Australian because the cruises were on "Australian Brand" ships, not U.S. Brand.  But I sure would have appreciated it if the Princess agent I originally booked with would have taken the extra minute to let me know that the OBC was in Australian dollars.  

Will I still take these cruises and enjoy them?  Absolutely.   Incidentally, the supervisor I spoke with said that none of the OBC, whether from shareholder or Princess promotion, would be refundable if not used.  

I find it curious that none of the posters to this thread who have taken other Aussie cruises have shared what the price was in Australian dollars for various ship amenities and purchases.  For example, what is the charge in AUD for the specialty restaurants?  How about beverages?  Just curious.  Those of use who have not sailed this part of the world are very aware of what we pay on U.S. currency voyages for these things.

I just got a rude awakening on the two Princess cruises I booked several months ago, one to New Zealand and another around Northern Australia.  In both cases, Princess was offering $200 onboard credit per person.  BUT . . . the $200 per person is NOT in U.S. dollars, it is in Australian dollars because that is the currency of the ships in this part of the world.  So our total of $400 OBC is really only worth approximately 279 Aussie Dollars!  The customer service folks said that all of the pricing on the ship is in Aussie Dollars so it evens out.  I find it hard to believe that the excursions I would normally be charged $100 per person for will be sold on the ship for approximately 143 AUD.  Can anyone confirm exactly how the prices on a ship with currency in Australian Dollars compares to U.S. Dollars?

When I realized that my promotional OBC was not in U.S. Dollars, I got to thinking about my shareholder credit, so I asked Princess how this works.  In this instance, I DEFINITELY will be "losing" value.  My $250 shareholder credit will be posted on my folio as 250 AUD.  And that means the value of $250 U.S. becomes approximately 176 AUD.  It's like I arrive at the dock with $250 U.S. in my hands, turn it over to the purser, and receive a credit on my folio statement for 250 AUD - a value of $176 U.S.  I've just lost $74, simply by stepping onboard the ship!!

After a very lengthy conversation with a supervisor in the customer service department, I finally understood the company's policy on this subject.  I'm not happy with it, but there's nothing I can do about it short of cancelling my two cruises.

Anyone want to weigh in on this topic?