arxcards

The ship doesn't dock till tomorrow, and I had read about the Limo driver. Yes, the risk is all over, but there is nowhere else you could go in Victoria where 5 to 10 out of every 100 people have covid, or anywhere near that density. Victoria is running at around 0.3 per hundred. Odds are, for his 13 booked passengers that one will have it. His call, but selectively choosing your customers can be bad for business in the long run.

Newcastle won't be complimenting the load through Port Botany but will be in competition. That is why they fought to keep it from happening, and I can't see them freeing-up the container wharf for cruise ships. Very tight for space on those wharves, and I can't see them fitting-out a container with check-in counters.

Temp testing is not reliable on current strains. For all their extra efforts, the same small ship had an outbreak of their own. None of the large ships will screen test after embarkation, nor are they required to. The system in place is that if you have symptoms, you step forward for a free test. If that is treated with contempt by some passengers, those passengers are the weak link, not the ship. To mirror your comment .... not all passengers appear serious in trying to control the spread of covid.

Really disappointing, we are our own worst enemies. I guess that also explains why it is circulating on many other ships as well.

Very little on radio news here to day. I have heard nothing on the commercial stations, so it is almost like they didn't know there was a ship coming. ABC radio had a bit this afternoon, talking about a number of covid "patients" aboard. The info they were quoting from CA is that the decision was made in consultation with the NSW government, who were concerned about the rise of covid transmission in the Hunter, so they decided to call the day visit off. OK, between the lines means that NSW authorities required a negative RAT from passengers before they could go ashore, and Princess is hoping numbers will go down before arriving in Melbourne. Neil Mitchell loves a gee-up. I hope nobody from here has booked limo driver Scotty for their transfer home. https://www.3aw.com.au/covid-outbreak-on-cruise-ship-bound-for-melbourne/

While they may have their hands tied and are are probably at the front line of a barrage of complaints, the girl from guest services is the best connection for getting your issues across. I agree, she may not be able to quickly solve your issues, but they do link to the supervision of hotel and ship services and should be able to log your issues directly to those officers who are in charge of those departments. A week in iso is not appealing at home, and certainly much less palatable in a cruise ship cabin. Try and make the most of your last couple of nights, and I hope your husband tests negative tomorrow.

I have used them plenty in the past, between the airport and airport hotels, and could never fault them. That was before everything came to a near halt for 18 months and most of the shuttle drivers in Sydney had no work, and moved on to other jobs. I don't know what they are like now. Judging by the online comments for them and other shuttle companies, services have been unreliable, and I don't know if things are starting to return to normal or not.

You can drop luggage early, but not sure how early for a delay like that. I was just checking for some details, to find the convenience store/cafe beside the tram terminus has permanently closed and will be replaced by a block of units with food outlets on the ground floor - but not for a year at least. That was also where I used to get my Myki topped-up too. There are some cafes in the general area, but not that I have tried. If you are up for a bit of a walk, take a walk along the waterfront towards St Kilda, and there is bound to be something you will like. Or a tram ride into the city, where you can do whatever you want to fill in the time.

The mask thing is in place for all Carnival brands as well. - Dining rooms - masks worn while moving about, then removed when seated for eating/drinking. - Bars - masks worn while moving around. Once seated most will take masks off, but some bars (and places like the theatre) are designated as sip and cover, and meant to be worn when you don't have a drink to your mouth. - Applies generally to indoor areas. I guess that means you don't need one in the pool, but they also suggest one if you can't socially distance from others, so I will let you work that one out. Our workplace rules earlier in the pandemic, as defined, meant we needed to wear one when showering at work. Rather than soggy mask, it was an opportunity to give it a wash ready for the next day. 😉 We have done 3 cruises this year with these sorts of mask rules, government mandated at the time. We didn't find it too onerous, just an extension of what we have been doing day to day for parts of the last couple of years.

Take care.

Yes, main Lido deck pool.

From comments here, her previous covid arrival had significant delays and Station Pier was a madhouse. Hopefully most take heed, and embarkation will be delayed, but smooth.

Yes, they were at tier 2 this morning, so that can be anywhere between 3 & 9.9%. I am sure it isn't to keep the numbers hushed, but it would be a problematic visit if everyone has to RAT before arriving or going ashore. It is also possible those round of tests might trigger tier 3, and then having to skip the port visit anyway. Shame, I had my camera packed for a diversion over to Stockton for some ship photos tomorrow.

I don't think Victoria publicly lists the ship status in the same way that NSW does. It will be of interest to Victoria, as Grand Princess will report the numbers to their officials on Wednesday.

If there is an elevated number of cases on a cruise to the islands, they can deny a ship from calling. More likely they will ask that all passengers be tested, with only those with negative tests being allowed ashore. So far, it seems the ships have been health enough for the first 1/2 dozen days of most cruises, then cases starting to increase as the days tick over. As to whether to go, stay or change to another cruise, that is a personal choice that only you can best make. We have nothing for the Pacific booked, and it doesn't appeal for us ATM because of the disruptions. Vanuatu doesn't officially open till Thursday, so we will see how that pans out before we think of planning anything. The gurus are saying this will be a short sharp spike, and they have been close to the mark in the past.

Not really. Traditionally, the majority of cruises out of Brisbane are 7 nights, which gives 3 ports in NQLD or the Pacific Islands. More recently, the cruises to nowhere and Airlie Beach have become more of a thing as well. P&O only do a handful of longer cruises to NZ or for more ports in the Pacific each year, and Carnival's offerings look very similar.

Huh, we don't need an eta either. Australian citizens do not need a NZeta. Australian residents (that are not citizens) do need one. An example, like plenty of people I know, live in Australia on UK passports.

Correct. If you have an Australian passport, you don't need a visa for NZ. Who are you cruising with? The above is generally correct, but there are slight differences between cruise lines. In most cases, they ask for photo as detailed above, but rarely ask for proof. With govt protocols, your word is your proof, and you just need to attest you have tested negative on a RAT in the previous 24hrs. Take the photo, or whatever your cruise line asks you to do.

Most likely, but I am sure our local press will be sharpening their pencils all the same. This is our first ship ever with elevated covid, and the tension is building. 😂

First cruise back on Explorer, there were some nasty coughs in the MDR at embarkation lunch - part of a larger group that all wore badges, so can be identified as bringing back cruising at the same time as trying to shoot it in the foot. They could have had anything, and may have even tested negative as required, but friends did go home with it after the 4-night cruise, so it had to be present on day 1. Lots of people doing B2B2B transpacific, QLD, NZ on Majestic. I am pretty comfortable in saying there was a degree of covid already aboard when we embarked on the QLD cruise. Those B2B'ing would have been picked-up if tested on the day prior, and that would have gone a long way to mitigate the seeding of 800 cases some16 days later.

Once off the ship, you receive the same care you would if you caught it at work, on the bus, or your local supermarket.

How is it all going now? I was ready to roll out a welcome mat in Newcastle tomorrow, but now that Grand Princess has to report to NSW authorities, she is showing as tier 2. I figure this requires testing for anyone going ashore, and I might stay on the other side of the river just to be safe 😉 When departing Newcastle in the evening, they fire the guns at Fort Scratchley to salute the ship. If you reach tier 3 in the morning, and you hear the guns being fired - duck!!

Another thing that has nagged at me, is how so many experienced cruisers can be doing all the right things, yet still catching it. Much was made about the aircon on Diamond Princess, and how cruise lines were modifying their systems to prevent room to room contamination. We seem to have accepted this has all been fixed, but I believe many ships had this as still a work in progress.

11 nights for us. One possible conclusion - disembarking a cruise ship is not good for your health. That was why they split into shorter cruises in the first few months after resumption, but I haven't seen any plans to shorten upcoming itineraries.

The same timeline for us following our Majestic cruise last month. Also a familiar theme with many of my friends on cruises over the past few months.