Runaways

Thank you for your input. I'm happy to know we should be boarding portside -  nice and stable! 

I will be grateful to receive clarification regarding the embarkation procedure for Seabourn cruises commencing in Dubrovnik, Croatia.  Has anyone done this? Where is the cruise check-in conducted and who/how is luggage transported? We've never embarked the beginning of q cruise by tender before, and can't imagine how it works. Thanks for your any first hand information and input you may have. We are not cruising with Seabourn until European summer 2024. Oh, any tips on characterful, convenient accommodation at moderate cost for a good standard in Dubrovnik will also be appreciated. Thanks again.

Thanks to those who responded to my query. It seems we'll be paying quite a lot for Specialty Dining, especially with a hefty gratuity added on top. Not really sure if the value is there at these current steep prices, even though we very much enjoyed these experiences in the past. Will think on it!

53 minutes ago, cruiser3775 said:

I was on the same cruise and didn't particularly notice rust or aged furniture.  I was very happy with Coral Princess generally.  I don't see the need for everything on the ship to be upgraded if it is comfortable and it works. If passengers expect everything to be brand new on older ships, then they would have to expect the prices to go up.

Fair enough - if the furniture was in fact comfortable and working well, but not the case. The cruise cost was high enough to expect a decent standard of stateroom fixtures, etc.

36 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

I do not think this was cost cutting.

 

Princess removed those items to help stop the spread of Covid since at the start of the pandemic it was unknown if the virus could easily be transmitted by people touching those items.

The staff in the diningroom said the words 'cost cutting'.  Normal covered toothpicks and one use note pads & pencils could/should be returned now. If Proncess don't even bother to sight/ask about 'mandatory' 24 hour-prior-to-boarding RATs, then don't know why they'd be concerned about single use items.

45 minutes ago, cruiser3775 said:

I was on the same cruise and didn't particularly notice rust or aged furniture.  I was very happy with Coral Princess generally.  I don't see the need for everything on the ship to be upgraded if it is comfortable and it works. If passengers expect everything to be brand new on older ships, then they would hmatave to expect the prices to go up.

Maybe your Club Mini Suite sofa and stateroom carpet were in good condition - ours was not.  Looking up at the underside of curved balcony overhangs showed wide, very bad bands of rust. Likewise smaller areas were visible around our balcony. Glad you were very satisfied with your accommodations etc though. We still enjoyed the cruise.

Just now, Runaways said:

Sorry guys, my Coral Princess sofa &  Conflict Island photos loaded upside down and can't find edit icon! Please ignore.

Sorry guys, my Coral Princess sofa &  Conflict Island photos loaded upside down and can't find edit icon! Please ignore.

Hi all. We returned 10 days ago from our first cruise in 3 years 7 months - Coral Princess to PNG, Brisbane return. This was only our second cruise with Princess  and a repeat destination to wonderful PNG. We've cruised extensively, but only experienced this itinerary with Princess on the old ships they use (Golden Princess 5 years ago, and Coral Princess this time). The destination was great, as was the weather and calm seas.  We found the crew to be generally excellent again but this old ship and our Club Mini Suite were not that great for the hefty price paid. We love this ship size, but thought there would have been lots of time to get rid of obvious rust on lots of external and some internal surfaces, recarpet and replace a mismatched, very uncomfortable sofa in our stateroom. Likewise, the balcony glass & metal hadn't been well cleaned for ages and the old balcony furnuture had drops of paint on it. Window sills in the Club Suite Diningroom had ugly rusty surfaces where the glass met the sill - large very noticable areas. However, the FABULOUS staff in that diningroom made up for it. They were consistently wonderful, and made the cruise. Another big plus was the Sanctuary. A thoroughly enjoyable, well priced and beautifully serviced area by great staff.  During the boarding process, we were shocked not to be asked by Brisbane Terminal check-in staff to see our negative, ID'd & dated Rapid Antigen Tests. Not only was there no request to sight it, but not even a question asked if we had done it! Our Vaccination Certificates were sighted, but nothing else. Unsurprisingly, we believe there was Covid on board. I did not see a lot of 'enforcement' of hand sanitiser use either, except at entry to the Horizon Court buffet. Our experience with Celebrity, even prior to the pandemic, is that hand sanitising is always facilitated at many positions on board, and when returning to the ship, unlike Princess. We're not particularly concerned about CV (had it, and luckily no issues for us). However, follow through on Princess's own rules is expected - or don't bother with the rules.  Better information would have been very useful regarding the desirability to use Kina not A$ on Kiriwina (as the local people have no bank & can't change A$s unless another passenger can do it or when the next ship arrives many months out. We knew this as our second visit, but many had no idea)) and that NO cash is accepted at beautiful Conflict Island - credit card ONLY at the souvenir shop & bar area!  This might sound like a big moan but not really as we loved being at sea again and many aspects of our holiday. But we also noticed cost cutting (like no pen or notepaper in our suite, no toothpicks in dining venues!, a very limited, but reasonable quality, wine selection in our package, truly bad icecream and quite a few food fails: However some dishes were excellent, to be fair): And very noticable was the ship's aged condition & old fashioned decor.  It will be interesting to see how Celebrity Eclipse compares in a few months time re general ambiance, service and value for money. These comments are meant to be informative and useful, not to spoil anyone's excitement about their upcoming holiday. We're certainly glad we went, even if all was not quite as expected. Happy sailing!

Hi. Long time, no talkies😊, but we're finally, happily, back to cruising🤗.  We received a half-price specialty dining package onboard Solstice some years ago, but don't know if such deals are being offered these days. We're on Eclipse (Sydney-South Pacific) in about 3 months and unsure if we should pre-book what is now a very expensive per person dining package, or wait to see if anything better will be offered on boarding. Any current info will be much appreciated. Thank you.

Gwenn.

We enjoyed the Concierge welcome lunch on Connie in May. A nice start to the cruise and more relaxing than the buffet. As for making sure you have a lounger by the pool - you can always head there first and leave a couple of towels on your preferred seats while you enjoy a leisurely lunch...:D

Although it ages since the above post, we're doing research for an upcoming Celebrity cruise and in particular Concierge Class embarkation lunch and Elite special breakfast. Noticed the comment about embarkation day strategy re enjoying the Concierge lunch while also securing a place by the pool: "...leave a couple of towels on your preferred seats while you enjoy a leisurely lunch". Not the only comment along these lines, sad to say. Do fellow passengers really think it's OK to leave their possessions on deck chairs while they go off for a "leisurely lunch". Surely one only has their 'stuff' on a deck chair while actually using it/taking a swim/getting another towel? When it's time for lunch, surely you should take your belongings with you - or find a place after lunch. Manners.

Looks like you are on our cruise, not stalking or anything but maybe you might like to pop over to our roll call. There are quite a lot of us.

Rosalyn

Will do - thanks:)

We are wondering the same (though not really concerned at this early stage) as we finish our Singapore-Bali cruise 21 January, just before you embark. Our rather expensive last-minute/peak holiday season air tickets are bought and paid for, so let's hope Mt Agung calms down soon. No doubt the Balinese people want that too!

Thanks for this question. We've saiIed on Decks 7 and 8 previously - with one particular experience in mid-aft cabin on Deck 7 being problematic due to excessive vibration. We were moved without fuss to mid Deck 8 - absolutely fine. After a four year gap, we've booked a last -minute Guarantee for a short New Year cruise on Journey and today received notification we will be in 6031. It's further forward than we would usually book, so will appreciate any comments from those who may know this location. Is there Cabaret Lounge noise and any problem re ship motion in this technically Forward location? Thanks for any advice.

We stayed in the Hotel Gaudi, just off Las Ramblas and an easy 15 minute walk to the cruise terminal. It is directly opposite the Gaudi Museum and we had an excellent room and balcony overlooking the very decorate rooftop. It is also very handy for both the underground system for travelling around Barcelona and many good restaurants.[/quote

 

We agree, Hotel Gaudi has a great location, close to many interesting sights, the waterfront/harbour and walking distance to the Cruise Terminal. A balcony room with a view of the Guell Palace rooftop is a treat. And the rooftop terrace is a great spot for a sangria or beer with wide views over the city. Enjoy lovely Barcelona!

£5000 sounds amazingly cheap. I know of someone where the insurance claim was in excess if £100,000.

The cost of the WC insurance premium for two people was £5,000? The claim was £100K+?

I totally agree. ..last year on QM2 from Sydney I found it very galling when Australians would say to me " it was such a good deal we couldn't afford to miss it! " As I was a solo passenger paying a large supplement it wasn't what I wanted to hear....

 

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It's equally galling for Australians who book 8/9 months out only to then have Cunard promote hugely discounted fares with gratuitues, signficant OBC and bottleS of Veuve Cliquot thrown in. Can't blame consumers for taking advantage of such offers - but I question Cunard's general pricing policy. Their prices are all over the place.

You might want to check the rules re bringing in alcohol if flying into Dubai ie. not transiting - just a thought.

Hi. We'd appreciate input regarding good, medium priced hotels very near the cruise port that have parking at reasonable rates and will allow the car to be garaged for a 7 day cruise at a daily or weekly rate. I know MSC has an arrangement with a parking garage that provides valet service from the port to their garage and presumably return at cruise end. Their rate is 90 euros for 8 days. Just checking the best way to go re parking as we'll be driving to Genoa and want to spend the night prior to sailing there, close to where we'll embark the next day. Thank you.

We booked after boarding. In our cabin were the "vouchers" related to the black level perks. By "linked" to your card, I mean they know by the color of your cruise card which level you are. Make sure when issued your card it is the right color. We had one black and not the other but no big deal to get it corrected. When you use your card to pay your restaurant tab, the server knows what to do. If you have not ordered wine, etc. you should get a receipt for 0. We were in the YC so the concierge took care of making the reservations for us. Hope this helps.

Yes, this as answers all my queries, so thank you very much indeed. Best wishes.

We had a set menu in the Eataly Steakhouse but was able to choose an entree in The Galaxay Brunch. The rest of the menu was set. Don't have copies of these 2 . Maybe someone on recently will be able to help. Next time around we would choose the Italian side of Eataly.

Is not Ristorante Eataly excluded from the Black Card complementary dinner offer?

If you and your partner are both black card level, each card will have a link for dinner for 2 in a speciality restaurants. We tried Galaxy Brunch and Steakhouse Dinner last cruise.

A few questions to clarify how this works - thank you. Did you book your specialty restaurant meals before or after boarding? If before, how did you do it? And if after boarding, was there specific information waiting in your cabin about making these reserservations? You mention that "each card will have a link for dinner for 2 ....". Would appreciate an explanation re this "link". Thanks again.

No expert either: However we received Black Card Loyalty Match for Celebrity Elite last week. There doesn't seem much point in delaying - Black Card is the highest MSC level and your current Celebrity Elite level gets you that.

Just paid for 7 night Med cruise and gratuities are 9 euros per person per day (but prepaid AUS$13 pp), as published in 2016/2017 brochure and confirmed by MSC Sydney booking staff. US$ cost should be less than A$.

We have an annual policy, renewed each year, which covers us very well for all travel locally and internationally. The premium seems substantial until you look at who and what it covers: 2 people insured; we don't have to worry about any gaps, i.e. we're covered from the moment the deposit is paid until we arrive back at our door. We're covered for up to 3 months world-wide (but can arrange for extension, though not needed yet); no need to pay extra for any car rental excess; all our luggage and goods are included - whether items are lost or stolen at the local supermarket or across the world. I've tested the medical component - luckily no repatriation needed, but what I required was there. So, depending on your lifestyle and travel frequency, this might work for you.