arxcards

Not a fan of the Coral mini-suite shower/tub. You only get 1/2 the space, as the shower curtain is more clingy than a tipsy cougar. Our only thing for me that was annoying about those cabins.

Happy to confirm we were none of the above. Princess is not much of a target for booze cruisers, as it pretty much shuts down service at midnight. I would agree in kind though, but see it as more of a bogan cruise than a booze cruise. Watching video clips from Splendor last week, and that is a very boozy ship on short cruises - and maybe the longer ones too. Lots ditch masks on a short cruise, as there is little consequence - if they catch it, they are home before testing positive. Different for longer cruises, as nobody wants to spend a week confined to their cabin. The CD made infrequent announcements, but if the staff refused service until they masked-up, those passengers might get the hint.

Barb did. I will have to check what she has on her phone. I know she was keeping a log of her drinks as well.

The team of Coral Princess is awaiting the A team to return. Francois will be happy to see you back aboard. Pays to dig the heels in once in a while. Crown Grill a la Bayou was awesome tonight. Plenty of OBC translated into what would otherwise be a pair of overpriced Effy Pearl earrings, but we disembark with a skinny bill and pretty happy about the way things panned out.

Burger, chips, bourbon & coke at the grill. Markets and a coffee stand. Food vans might have popped up a bit later than our return. Nice coffee and a shop browse through town.

+1 for City Extra. It is now back to 24hrs. It doesn't need to be that eggstavagent a meal though.

Pier One is in walking distance, probably slightly longer distance than Marriot and Four Seasons from the opposite direction. Flat enough ground for wheeled luggage. It will take a while if you have a camera, as you will stop every few minutes for a photo.

Thanks for the anniversary wishes. Even our door is being nice.

Gorgeous day in Eden today. A beautiful little town while the sun is shining.

True. Not after any extras though, just what we had booked. These short cruises are pretty much over now, and that will take the stress off their specialty restaurants. I imagine they will be 1/2 empty for the next 28 days. I feel for those who have less technology, as by the time they board, everything is full on these short ones. Coral being a bit older also has a bit less capacity. On Majestic next week for 11 nights, I don't expect any problems with overbooking. I agree with that Julie. Short cruises and Coral having less specialty space. Suites are 1st night, and should have their spaces blocked out of the system. Part of the issue with this one is that Premier packages didn't exist until well after restaurant bookings could be done.

They were fitted in Europe before coming down. It was just delayed as part of their phased return to service. Encounter missed out on getting slides

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement. Francois was lovely, but couldn't resolve it. It went higher and quickly. It is the first thing I have ever dug my heels in for on a ship. It is resolved in part, and a booking was made that Francois couldn't even make. No officers taking up space on this cruise. Passengers do have priority, but as hinted earlier they have allowed too many specialty vouchers to be circulated for this cruise. At a high level, they could see the cancelled booking, but were still coy how/who was responsible for it. On the minus, they are overselling specialty restaurant vouchers via booking promo/Premier package/suite guests. Not sure how many, but they were offering a bottle of wine for holders of excess vouchers to use them on Surf & Turf in the dining room. The other minus is how it was cancelled in the first place, as we were not the only ones bumped,. I guess I will never really know how it happened, although I know it happened on embarkation morning, at a time when B2B passengers could book in person for their following cruise - although Bayou was already booked solid. Happy to be back with plan A, peeved with the process of getting there.

Antarctica

Correct. Doesn't enter service till late October.

Majestic - iI guess when for her previous departure in 2019, she might have been green.

As mentioned, I am surprised Majestic has a status with NSW authorities. They don't report their communicable illnesses until the day before arrival - 19th October.

Hate is such a strong word. This afternoon, I am really close to using it as a prefix for Princess. Many weeks ago when we upgraded to Premiere, I booked Bayou for last night, and tomorrow night. When we boarded, there was 3 vouchers - including another for Sabatini's for tonight. When confirming it was a valid booking at lunch today, it turns out that in their wisdom, they bumped our booking fot tomorrow night, and changed it for Sabatini's tonight. No communication, find out by accident, and we have nothing booked for our 30th anniversary tomorrow - the reason for booking the cruise in the first place. Fully booked, and only the Bayou manager can do anything about it when they open tonight. I get it that they want to squeeze everyone in, but we had a booking, and they changed it without consulting.

I mentioned to Barb this morning it would be nice to out of the weather, but I haven't heard anything official. The sun is poking through now, and the wind had dropped a bit - but we are close to the coast and close enough to Eden.

Service charge? In Australia, no.

If arriving into Sydney with those numbers, that is on the verge of code orange.

Well and truly awake, have had breakfast and a bit of a walkaround. The ship is very quiet this morning, after a bumpy shaky night. Boarding yesterday was slick, and we were first to board. No queues, in cabin video and muster station done by 11:10. No queues visible throughout the afternoon. I blame the medallion. Dinner at Crown Grill a la Bayou last night. An incredible steak, and Barb loved her prawns. Unfortunately my beef tartar starter was way undercooked. No creme brule, trying to mix things up a bit. Maybe tonight. They had a Lady Gaga show last night. Would have loved to have gone, but such a long day we would have fallen asleep. I think the comedian is on the last night, so he must be the highlight. We have a credit showing on the door prize from the premiere package. Not sure if it is a win at this stage, or if they have dropped it and refunded. We also have a booking for Sabatini's tonight, which I am sure we haven't made. The voucher was in our cabin when we boarded, so it is a bonus - don't know if from Princess or our T/A. Quiet day ahead, as it is pretty average outside. I am reflecting what Princess is and how it fits in the market. Shorter cruise has certainly mixed things up. Not a booze cruise crowd, so not that. Heaps of blue medallions and mixed dress standards. Regardless of the defined Princess standard, I always felt it was a brand where you made an effort to dress for dinner. Currently, you would think you were dining in a pub, and it isn't a spill of cruiselings either - they have their own bogan-trendy fashion. I just think they just couldn't be bothered. As for not being bothered, masks. Lots don't care, and the staff don't challenge anyone, so it becomes accepted. I heard one woman say that she forgot to put her mask on but the staff didn't say anything, so it must be OK not to wear them. We will continue to make an effort. I hope the longer cruises continue to have passengers that make an effort. PS: my beef tartar was delish, and perfectly undercooked. 😁

Chalk and cheese. Details later.

HAL is different to Carnival on this, and they all vary from brand to brand. One bottle of wine per adult passenger is fine on HAL. Not sure if they still do it, but we have pre-ordered litre bottles of spirits to have ready in our cabin.

And look how far you've come. Thanks, Just passing through today.

So, you made it to Papeete, but did anyone make it off the ship? Just reading the roll call, which suggested Tahitian authorities didn't like the number of covids on the ship. Take care Stu, I hope everything else is cruisey.