pompeii

8 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

I can give you my opinion based on doing exactly what you’ll be doing in 2019-2020. 
 

If you can, without wasting OBC, I would close out your first cruise (the transpacific cruise in USD).  If you have a balance due at that time, it will be charged to your credit card in USD. Start the AUD portion of your cruises fresh. I am not a fan of gift cards though I know many who swear by them, but I can almost promise you that you’ll get a rotten rate of exchange on the ship.  
 

Once you’re in Sydney, go to any of the many ATMs around Circular Quay and the Overseas Passenger Terminal and use an ATM card or debit card (we don’t use those either) to get local currency. From that point, we give extra tips on the ship in whichever currency we have the most of or are trying to use up. It makes no difference to the crew. 
 

We also got NZD for excursions there in the same way. So, by the end of the season, we were tipping crew in USD, AUD and NZD. In Asia we were juggling at least six currencies for tips. 

Thank you for this advice.  We are doing a b4b on the Royal from Seattle to Sydney and around NZ starting in Sept, so I will make sure to close out our USD folio before Sydney so we can start afresh in AUD.    

7 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

I think I'll just go into Wells Fargo and purchase AUD in advance. I checked today and the exchange rate looks good. (I can do it online but they mail the cash to my home. My mailbox is out by the road and doesn't lock so that is not something I'm interested in doing.) I can order the cash and pick it up in a couple of days. If I use an ATM overseas the bank will charge me and the ATM will likely also charge me. If I get the currency here in advance I don't see any fee associated with the transaction so that seems the best to me.

If you travel a lot, and I think perhaps you do, you might look into opening a checking account with Schwab bank.  Their debit card won't charge or will reimburse you for any ATM fees for any ATM anywhere, and no foreign transaction fees.  Just stop at a local ATM and withdraw whatever you need.  You'll get a better rate than ordering through your bank at home and you don't have to try and determine ahead of time how much you might need.  I don't use mine for anything other than travel and there are no fees involved with keeping the account open.  

1 hour ago, fzrider said:

I have been purchasing max allowable Princess Gift cards each month.

I just logged into AARP to purchase for Aug and find they are now discounted only 8% rather than the 10% previously.

I just read this on a Princess fb group as well.  They said Princess was the only one that changed and the other cruise line gift cards were still at 10% discount.  I purchased the final three I needed to pay off my upcoming cruises first thing this morning when I got up and they were still at 10%. I'm glad I'm an early riser and squeaked under the wire!  Hopefully they'll go back to 10%.  

50 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

 

 

That being said, I think it’s easy to criticize the complainers if these changes aren’t relevant to you. But the question is, what happens next time, when Princess makes their move, and the spinner lands on something you do care about?

 

So, while the changes might not affect me personally, I’m still sympathetic to those who care. You never know what’s next 🤷🏻‍♀️

 

 

Thank you for this comment.  When the price of Plus goes up or Princess changes how many drinks or the $$ value included, it won't affect me at all because I don't book Plus.  But I won't belittle anyone's complaints or their right to make them.  In other words, you won't hear from me "If you don't like it, it's simple, don't cruise with Princess."  

9 hours ago, MacMadame said:

The Plus is worth it even if you don't drink at all. Here's how it works out:

 

The Zero Alcohol package is 29.99 a day. Crew Appreciation varies but let's say you are in Balcony or lower, that's 16 a day. If you weren't planning to go to fitness classes, eat the specialty desserts, or get internet, that's $45.99 a day which is less than the Plus package. But if you want internet, that's 60.98 a day which is slightly more than Plus. And with Plus you get a few other things thrown in.

 

So just get the Plus and drink as little or as much as you want! 😄

The flaw in this analysis is using the $29.99 Zero Alcohol Package as the basis. I would never pay that since I buy my coffee a la carte and a couple bottles of water from the pre-ordered bottled water package for under $10 a day.  Adding in crew appreciation and internet I’m no more than $36 a day. Sure, the no alcohol package would provide a bunch of sugar and calorie-laden options that I don’t need or want, even when “wth, I’m on vacation!”  If I want something extra every now and then I’ll buy it and still be way ahead over the plus fare.  

18 minutes ago, memoak said:

When the price of eggs goes up 20% do you stop making omelets ?

But the price of eggs will go back down.  The increase is temporary.  Can't say that about Princess and its unwelcome changes.  

As a general fyi, you should be able to access the Princess site in the internet cafe without wifi and find your answer there.  I'm glad you were able to get through on chat and get your answer.  

We will be stopping twice in both Tauranga and Bay of Islands on upcoming b2b cruises in Oct/Nov.  Wed like to see the glow worm caves in either Kawiti from Bay of Islands, or Waitomo from Tauranga, or both.  The tours we're considering include other things besides the caves, so that's not the only thing we'd see on our day out.  I've read that Waitomo is more impressive but also more crowded.  Are they unique enough experiences to warrant visiting both?  Since we have two days in each port, we have another day to spend on other things, like Rotorua from Tauranga and snorkeling in B of I.  Can those of you who have seen the caves shed some light on the glow worms?  Thanks.

1 hour ago, kamelia said:

I just tested this out now, and after a few seconds of the waiting for the "processing" spinning wheel to quit spinning, instead of continuing to wait, I clicked on "Cruise Deals" at the top of the screen which then went directly to the My Account page with all of my upcoming cruises.  I can't tell you if the timing of being able to access it was sheer coincidence or not, I'm just trying to share what has worked for me several times over the past few days.  Hope you're able to get into your online account soon!  🤞

I’ve also found that if I just click on a tab while the log in circle is spinning, it takes me there and seems to log me in because My Account shows up at the top. I still can never get my list of saved cruises to show up though. I get an error message and have to search anew every time. 

The only ship I’ve been on that exchanged dollars for euros at passenger services was the Enchanted TA this past March.  Other than that, I’ve never seen it so I wouldn’t count on it. 
 

My best suggestion is to open a checking account that has no foreign transaction fees and doesn’t charge for using an out of network ATM, like Schwab. My Schwab debit card has worked perfectly everywhere I’ve been.  

If you look under the Payments tab on the website, the section for credits is at the bottom. It would be listed there. 

On 6/25/2023 at 7:47 PM, possum52 said:

A half day tour of Auckland and you only saw the port area? The port area is not that big or do you mean the harbour area? How long was this tour? What were you supposed to see?

 

We did a half day tour - three hours which took us through various harbourside suburbs on both sides of the central business district. We visited the beautiful Auckland Domain where we stopped at the War Museum. We then went across to Devonport on the other side of the harbour where we drove through the historic village and stopped at a beachside cafe for refreshments after driving to the summit of North Head with a fantastic view of the harbour and Auckland. On the way back to the ship we stopped at the yacht marina where there were some very expensive yachts moored. A very interesting tour which had an overview of what Auckland is like.

We're going to be in Auckland in October and wondered if you would share the tour company you used?  Thanks

If anyone is currently on the Royal, can you report if there are Lavazza dispensers in the buffet?  And if you're a coffee drinker, can you tell us if it's any good??  I'm sailing in September and would love to know if there will be decent free coffee.  I don't get plus or premier so IC coffee is $$$.

If you don't bid on the first offers you get, does Princess send better offers closer to sail date if there aren't enough takers on the first batch?  I'm on a 2-day Seattle to Vancouver and the minimum offer from an inside to a balcony obstructed is $75 per person.  For a standard balcony, the minimum is $150 per person, for just the bid...on top of your original fare.  For a two day cruise!  That seems insanely expensive, especially considering that very, very few cabins have sold except for interiors.  

Do the bid offers get better closer to the sail date?  

I can sign in under my account but it rejects my husband's log in credentials, even though I know they are correct.  My biggest frustration is that for months and months, I can't view any of my saved cruises.  I get "We Apologize for the Inconvenience.  We were not able to continue to the next step. Please try again or revisit us later this evening."  So if I want to check prices or airfare or cabin availability, I have to search for the cruise every time.  Very annoying.

Take a look here for the requirements on the Princess site:

CruiseHealth™ FAQ: Sailings from Australia & New Zealand - Princess Cruises

2 minutes ago, coo359a2 said:

Received the standard email for upcoming cruises -this will be for our 2 day cruise that starts on our arrival date in Sydney.  It says we need a positive covid test. Refers you to the FAQs for Australia cruises. I vaguely remember receiving an  email for our cruise from San Francisco to Sydney or maybe someone posted saying we will be given a covid test (self taken) before arriving in Sydney. Will have to go through trash folder when we get home to see if it was an email . So far haven’t received any emails for our 4 follow on B2Bs that go out of Melbourne   Since we leave in about 2 1/2 months, would hope we hear soon on what to expect 

AFAIK, neither Australia or NZ requires a covid test to enter...I wonder why Princess still has this stipulation.   I'm okay with it, I don't mind testing, but since they want to make cruising easier I would think they'd do away with it if weren't a necessity.  I'm basically wondering if the ship will want to test us themselves or if we'll be able to use our own tests on the b2bs.  

On 7/2/2023 at 7:22 AM, coo359a2 said:

Found the list but cant find it now or the link to putting in your voyage number to see the requirements for going to Australia. We go from San Francisco to Sydney in September and then 4 more B2Bs before flying back home.  The cruise in last March or April from Sydney to San Francisco was considered enhanced. Hoping this September our cruises will just be considered regular cruises 

We're doing a similar thing, going in September from Seattle to Sydney, then 2 more to Queensland and NZ.  I was wondering how the testing would work on the b2bs.  

8 hours ago, beatleman said:

 They  will be in force when entering both Australian and NZ ports you will be notified by the ship not to take any food items of the ship. Trail Mix can be obtained from every supermarket,health food store or just about any where that sells food,so why risk a fine. By the way NZ is a lot stricter than OZ. 

Ok, thank you for the information.  That's very helpful to know. 

3 minutes ago, BamaVol said:

I have Via packets that I’ve never tried, so I don’t know how good the stuff is.  But I know it doesn’t take up a lot of room.  

They beat syrup-based coffee, that's for sure!  No, they don't take up a lot of room but we're on a b4b for about 7 weeks, so if I can count on the coffee on the ship being good enough I'd rather use that room in my suitcase for something else.

On 7/2/2023 at 6:20 PM, mtnesterz said:

What @CruisingWalter meant by older ship was that the Grand and Coral Cass ships still use the syrup. They did switch from Douwe-Egberts for Nescafe. It is better, but still syrup. On Royal Class ships, the ground coffee in the buffet has been very acceptable.

Back in March, Princess announced a partnering with Lavazza for coffee, but whether this extends to coffee in the buffet, ground or syrup, we have not heard and will find out in August. Personally we will bring boxes of Via, as a plan B, and get water from any barista so it's hot enough.

If you'll find out in August because you're going to be on a ship, would you please report back?  I've been trying to find out about the status of the Lavazza partnership but nobody seems to know.  I'm trying to figure out if we should bring our packets of Via on the Royal in Septmeber, or if Lavazza brewed will be available in the buffet and dining rooms.  Thanks!

I just refared EZAir on a booking I had paid in full, largely with aarp gift cards, resulting in a small overpayment.  I'd be happy to just transfer the extra to obc, but I'm not sure that's an option.  Do I have to contact Princess to get that back on one of my gift cards, or should it happen automatically?    

That's awesome!  Had you booked the Princess transfer as part of your transportation?  I wonder how it would have worked out if you hadn't and were planning to take a private transfer to the port...

When we have to fly in the day of the cruise, we always book EZAir and the Princess transfer, just in case of a situation like this.  In that scenario, I want all transportation to be through Princess.  

15 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

Here’s the last update on the website, June 22, 2023.

 

https://www.princess.com/plan/cruise-with-confidence/cruise-health/frequently-asked-questions/au-cruises/

 

I would use the health tool on the website and put in your voyage number to double check before your sailing.

 

If there is a change, PCL usually notifies you by email also.  

I can't seem to find the health tool on the Princess site where you put in your voyage number any more.  I find the list of enhanced voyages, but not the tool where you put in your voyage number.  Do you have a link?  Thanks

23 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

The answer for Australia is "maybe".

 

"Commercially prepared and packaged nuts are allowed into Australia if they are one of the following:

 

blanched/roasted/fried/boiled nuts

shelled and tightly vacuum sealed nuts

nuts packaged in small confectionery tins sealed under vacuum.

 

Nuts must be declared and may be inspected on arrival. Products that do not meet import conditions will be exported or destroyed at the importer’s expense."

Since we're sailing over from the US, the snacks will already be in Australia.  Is it likely that the port personnel will check backpacks when leaving the ship on port days?