arxcards

Nah, it's people. Lots of anecdotal discussions about people just like the one the OP mentioned, although they wouldn't dare admit it online. None of the contemporary ships went into cold layup. I believe the ex Pacific Dawn (now Ambience) was largely powered down as it was intended to be sold for scrap. It needed a lot of extra work before it came back into service as Ambience.

$40pp. We will be there again in February.

Princess allows a couple of bottles of wine, as do most other lines other than P&O. That is the only alcoholic beverage any of them allows for - no beer, no spirits. Used to be bottles of "Iced Tea" and "water" that were repurposed, so they made it harder year by year. So now it is 1/2 dozen cans per passenger, loosely packed. Been that way for several years.

"Not Loading" is a bit generic and can be affected by type/age of phone, how much memory the phone has available etc. Are you able to get to a login screen? As suggested, login to the personaliser, and there is a link to a web version of medallion, where most of your details can be added. Good Luck!!

I may put myself in the crosshairs on this myself. I don't begrudge anyone being entitled to extra OBC or a discount based on whatever the reason offered. When they do this, there is a line in the sand, all the same. There are plenty of other occupations where people put themselves on the line every day to serve their communities. There is patriotism, which is the national spirit that lives behind the military offering thanks, support and respect for the roles they fulfill. Then there is corporate tokenism, which is a token gratitude offered by an entity, which gains income and goodwill for being seen to be "patriotic". This is heading off track like a transpacific discussion on the virtues of tipping. We are different nations with many similarities, but there are differences. 95% of Cruise Critic is US content, and this little Australia/New Zealand corner should be free to discuss our own views without being lectured from the other side of the Pacific.

Not all their lines. It no longer applies to Carnival, but should still apply for Princess.

It would be a shame if it has gone that way. It was a cash cow for them before, and I hope they realise they will lose so much of their business if they they aren't competitive. The locals generally hated them as they kept much of their proceeds out of the community. I would be happy for an update.

All good. P&O did have a limited range of cigs at some bars. I don't recall the price, but much cheaper than shore. $12/pack of 20 rings a bell, but I am not certain, and I think they are like Princess in limiting bar purchases to 1 pack per day. Short or long cruise is much the same, although no cigs from the duty free shops on a 3 nighter.

No, not on Splendor (or Luminosa)

Part 4 - Alotau We enjoyed a similar day a few years back. Loved the dancing, and agree there is no way I would walk there. The markets were interesting, and I particularly thought it strange the selling of individual cigarettes in glad wrap. Some nice carvings too.

Found, but sadly deceased.

Most will just say no, or not reply to the request at the risk of getting zero commission.

Sad! At last check, the ship was still zig-zagging the area.

My understanding is you can no longer do it with Princess if you haven't previously used that agent. If the agency you used previously is still interested, they can still book for existing clients.

Awesome. So many of the things I love about cruising. Thanks!!

Or on the last afternoon on Royal. Interestingly, Majestic Princess duty free was also delivered just before dinner on the last evening, almost as if they trusted us. There is no harm in delivering on the last day to people with drinks packages. After all, with a drink package we don't even break open our elite bar mini spirit bottles.

We haven't been to Vila since late 2019, and Vanuatu has only opened to tourism a few months ago - a few weeks ago for cruise. I am not sure if it has slipped a bit, I haven't heard much either way. Friends who stay often at Iririki have said the cheapest prices are when there is a ship in port which has only recently started to happen again. It is always worth shopping around, although Fung Kuei has pretty much been the Dan's of the Pacific, and I usually go looking for something a bit different or limited edition to add to a bar full of the regular stuff. Hopefully a return of foot traffic brings competitive pricing.

The Regal bit must be a bit out of date. She isn't scheduled to head this way anytime soon. Majestic, Grand and Royal doing the season next year, Majestic, Grand & Discovery in 2024/5

That may be so, but ships have an excellent standard of recycling. I believe the same, and have had filtered tap water at home since way before it became trendy. When travelling, bottles are a more reliable source of drinking water.

It varies. They also take on town water in the larger ports. Pure water is great to have when it is dispensed, but they have to have some chlorine added to their desalinated water to prevent nasties from contaminating the tanks and pipes. Sometimes I can taste a bit, Majestic dining room water tasted awesome, as if they had a filtration unit in the galley.

Just to add. On the Qld coastal cruises, the price of duty free is a bit higher, as they have no competition. When you are in Port Vila, if you have time, take a trip to Fung Kuei. Usually more choice and cheaper prices than the ships.

Duty free is available on Qld coastal cruises that go out past Willis Island. Even though there is no immigration for an "arrival" back into Australia, they still have arrival cards to comply with duty free limits and ABF staff to check/collect the cards. The general gist is that you get duty free on the first cruise. If you were able to take it home or leave it with a friend, you could double-up on the next cruise. Looking at your location, that is unlikely though, so you will need to keep them on the ship, so they will end up stored in bond by the ship. That makes it harder for a double-dip on the 2nd cruise, because the original lot is still considered as duty free goods coming back into Australia, due to the arrangement they have for selling duty free on QLD coastal cruises. I gather you are flying home, so that is limiting anyway. Two litres takes up more than enough of my flight carry-on allowance and travelling with too many bottles is generally annoying - there are only so many ship pool towels you can use to protect your duty free bottles.

Happy hour? Not that I could spot. I am not even sure they have a discounted cocktail of the day. Buckets of beer usually work out at 6 for the price of 5, or something like that. No beer tickets. Last I checked, P&O's drink package price worked out somewhere near 9 - 12 drinks worth, depending on your poison. A better chance to break even with cocktails or spirits than with beers.

Just another general yuk, much like the non-washing of hands before touching all the spoons and tongs in the buffet. Another plus to getting bottled water included on the drinks package. It is the same around water fountains in workplaces, and something I have long been wary about. For anyone concerned about the taste of cabin water, the Brita water bottles are awesome.

As far as I am aware, the entry screening happens in Hobart. For cruises where luggage needs to come off, that part is done at the turnaround port (Sydney).