arxcards

They tried a pop-up bar in that spot previously - unsuccessful. One thing that a hospitality company will do is promote both venues, which isn't something that MCA ever needed to be good at. The cafe originated as an add-on service for people who were visiting the gallery and relied on foot traffic.

12 months reprieve will allow me to get the UK trip out of the way next year, then I can retire the card until I need to find an alternative on the next big trip. The monthly fee is worth it, but only if you are spending overseas currency on it. Not much point having unless you are travelling.

Nothing showing in Melbourne ports at this stage. Anthem is heavy with NZ itineraries in 25/26, and I presume that would continue for 26/27. The QLD ship usually focuses on NQ and the Islands, but not if there isn't one there. A drydock in Singapore would be best suited as part of the relocation, but the dock isn't always going to be empty when you want it. It would be weird to chop into the summer season for a drydock, but Princess are doing it in 25/26. No Darwin bookings at this stage, so no Singapore trail either. Anything is possible, including Sydney. Perhaps the gap in itineraries is as a hotel ship for the tradies of Lelepa.

Jan/Feb would be a silly time to drydock. I am also not so sure about the 2.5 year rule, as I think that depends on the ship registry. Tech compliance inspections are a 5 year interval.

Turns out the MCA cafe is still there, but has moved downstairs to ground level for alfresco dining on the forecourt. Would be nicer to have that verandah view, but it is still a cool location.

Yeah, some of the early morning cabin delivered coffee's have been junk, but maybe they will get better with practice. No medallion delivery to the dining areas. Skywalkers should be fair game.

53 nights?

One of Margaritaville's CD's certainly knows her way around the ship, but Boi the Toiger is no longer aboard. That rumour was around from the day P&O announced they were casting her off, yet hasn't materialised into anything over 3 months. The ship went up for sale in June, and was off the market in July. A new owner will have a ship in March, so why aren't they promoting new itineraries and collecting deposits? Makes it hard to join the dots on any rumours of her being sold to the secondary market. Having mostly enjoyed the ship over 5 cruises I stand to be surprised, but odds are not in her favour. Perhaps she could be dropped into the role of another operating ship displacing that ship, or an Asian casino ship, but I can't stretch a rumour any further than that.

Sad, I loved the cafe for a light lunch, especially pre-cruise with a different ship in OPT. I guess it just wasn't quite popular enough. I guess I better suss out a Canvas menu for next time we are staying near the quay. For those not aware or out of town, Luke Mangan operates a seasonal restaurant from the Pylon Lookout in the bridge. It would seem that Circular Quay offers an attractive view for dining.

If that was their intent, they would be selling cruises on her already for late March 2025, as they can't afford to spend $50M+ on a ship and have it sitting around waiting for cruisers to book itineraries. The former Ocean Princess, a near identical sister, is laid up and also for sale. She is newer and apparently in better shape, but can't find a new owner. Sailing most of her life in the UK as Oceana, there is much more local nostalgia attached to her than there is for Dora.

They avoid forward cabins. Bed bugs are prone to seasickness.

The other caveat to using a device as a router is that you all have to be in proximity to each other.

On their wages, paying for ship wi-fi is a luxury. Crew get by through not using wi-fi on the ship at all, and making a beeline to the nearest free wi-fi point when they get ashore.

Surely they do, via medallion?

Iririki is nothing new though. Most times we have visited Vila, we head for Fung Kuei to get duty free shopping done, then catch the ferry over to Iririki to hang around the resort pool and have lunch. So, Royal can re-brand it and offer direct tenders from the ship, but it won't be a new destination/experience for us.

It doesn't look great for her. Her cruising days for P&O will be over in around 5 months time. Had she scored a new cruise line owner, those itineraries would surely be announced and on sale already. It is possible she could have a secondary life, such as a floating hotel for worker accommodation, but those scenarios are comparatively rare.

These are in line with the changes they had announced. It will be curious to see how much more evolved these pre-cruise communications will get.

And at 37:00 - they just don't go to plan. This is still only aspirational; buy great news they haven't pulled the plug on it. What would be nice is to know what is planned, and if it will be any more elaborate than what the Carnival brands are already utilising at Conflict Islands. Royal talk is often aspirational with their forward planning, and I don't think this one is less inevitable than it was 5 years ago, almost to the day. cw060919.pdf (cruiseweekly.com.au)

I have yet to hear anything about a future owner, but Pacific Explorer is not showing as for sale in the usual haunts. I missed it at the time, but I wonder if Sky News is on the money for a change. P&O Explorer: Inside the grim boneyard that houses retired cruise ships | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site

Take care. I hope they respond according to industry code, and they make them go away. Also important - make sure every base is covered so that you 100% don't take any home after your cruise.

In addition to above, getting a specimen or two would help. Ziplock bag or small screw top container. Lots of denial in these previous P&O incidents, so "evidence" is the word of the day.

@Corinne288 any advice? Yes, this last raised as an issue in May

Yes, great spot for most of the day.

The tip, if you had to rush to a flight, is to self-disembark. That means skipping breakfast and joining the queue in the atrium, best before the ship is tied-up. All that effort just ensures there is no luggage delay, nothing else.