arxcards

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).

Not in my experience. You know when you commit to a package whether it works out better than your daily spending pattern. If a package is good value, as this one is, I like them because I don't have to scrutinise prices to justify our next drink. We just order a drink when we want a drink, and don't drink to get max value out of the package. There is also internet, which is another reason this works for us. The prices are comparatively generous if you look at wine by the glass prices, or for cocktails and spirits. But when you figure that most of their spirits cost them $10-15 per litre, and the bottle of wine is recouped with the first 2 glasses from it. Maybe they are increasing the price of the package so that other passengers are not wearing the cost. Surely the extra $15 per day results in more profit, not more consumption. The same can be said for food. Some are like the old seafood nights at Sizzler, jamming their plates full because it is included, while others just grab a normal meal. Some will have 2 or 3 desserts after dinner, which puts the costs up for the rest of us. Really? No. At least those with a drinks package are paying the premium for it.

Good question. I am not up on New Zealand processes. They may treat you as an a genuine in transit passenger that isn't staying in Auckland, but I can't be sure of that. Is that cruise also available as a 27-night Sydney to LA?

We took a trip over on one of our Melbourne port days for fish & chips and a view of the ship. Nice spot.

What happens on a b2b turnaround day depends on your combination of itineraries ie, domestic b2b domestic domestic b2b international international b2b domestic international b2b international So my best guess is that you are international to domestic, which means you would normally be required to leave the ship with all of your luggage, "arrive" into Australia through immigration with your contraband/duty free declarations, then reboard the ship at the front of the queue as a transit passenger. Reason being that at the end of your 2nd cruise, even though they will police duty free limits, you are not arriving through immigration. Domestic b2b domestic usually allows for you and your belongings to stay aboard. You might get lucky, but likely you will have to pack/disembark/embark/unpack. Have a chat to your steward when you board, and he/she might be able to assist in making it easier.

There is also a City Cat wharf not far from Northshore Eat Street, and a zip up from Bretts Wharf would save your legs if you needed to take it easy. It has been a while since we have dined there. It was only starting to be developed and had a park plus a couple of eateries. Looks awesome.

Wiliamstown?

For Majestic, the pick of the outdoor bars would be Wake View Bar. There is a bit of protection from the elements, plenty of room, and a short walk to the buffet for snacks. There are a couple of spots on the prom deck. Aft is handy to the Crown Grill Bar, port for non-smokers, starboard for smokers. I always wondered why it isn't the other way around, as port goes well with a cigar 😉. There is some seating midship as well, which would be served from Ocean Terrace bar,

Take care. I have had some general tiredness and lethargy since, and a short cycle back through the symptoms without testing positive.

Yes, the "VIP bar" beside the casino. You should also have tickets in your cabin with this info. Take those with you.

Coral also had the aft roped off, and Majestic forward of the theatre doors starboard as well. I got the impression that local rules meant they could no longer have an indoor smoking area.

Actually, that does seem similar to 2016

Nice photos of yours sitting on the gallery page atm.

True. Anyone counting needs to look for excess room service trays and laundry sacks.

We enjoyed the entertainment on our Ovation cruise, but that was a month before that media release. I suspect it might have changed again by now.

The bulk of the recent delays have been because of the tier 2 or 3 protocols. If the ship is tier 1, disembarking will be smooth followed by check-in opening at the scheduled time. We are on the following cruise, and have our fingers crossed that everything is more normal again by then.

True. But how do you know you have the flu and not covid? By your reasoning, they are one of the same. Most of us have built a resistance to cold & flu, and less likely to catch it. At the end of October, Majestic Princess departed Sydney with no apparent covid aboard, and returned 2 weeks later with 800 positive cases. That wouldn't happen with flu, and far exceeds the worst noro outbreak recorded on a ship. These outbreaks are costing the cruise lines an absolute packet from cruise credits, medical costs and bad press. I respect their freedom to protect the operation of their ships over the freedoms of a few self-entitled individuals.

A bit like parental advice or tips from an experienced co-worker, you can always learn from the mistakes of others.

Might be true, and why they are getting so many cases lately. 🤣 Must be a work experience guy, or the editor is on holidays. I have spotted a few elementary errors with them lately.

False media COVID reports continue to plague cruise industry as Sydney hits record passenger numbers - Cruise Passenger

I will defer to that. Checking back, the last time we did Auckland to Sydney was in 2015. Time flies.

I think the 15 minutes refers to the test itself. If you don't get a control line within 15 minutes, it is an invalid test

In that, nobody has the real number apart from Celebrity and border authorities/NSW Health. ABC is speculating an approximate minimum tier 2 number and throws 100 on a page The Australia speculates an approximate maximum tier 2 number and throws 300 on a page The truth lies somewhere in the middle of those. Channel 7 plucks a number out of their proverbial, and vomits out 1500, which anyone not bothered to do any research parrots on their own platform. Majestic had tier 2 yesterday, but the media must have given up on her. Ovation had tier 2 on Wednesday and didn't rate a mention.

Presuming it is still done the way we have had it previously, borderforce used to fly out and board in Dunedin, then do passenger processing on the sea days over to Hobart. In covid times though, I wonder if they are still allowed to have their 3 day junket. If not, processing should be done in Hobart. So at the time, we have been processed as entered before Hobart, arrival cards marked and kept for handing in after arriving in Sydney to ensure you were still within duty free limits.