ceejay3377

When we were on the Oosterdam last year - We saw a man turning up for Dinner on formal night without a jacket so they offered him one , they seemed to have a few on hand .

:)

If you have set dining (early or late) and are at a large table, there is a good chance that you will share the table with an officer on formal night. This happened to us a few years ago on the Volendam, and for the first time ever, my husband decided to leave his jacket in the cabin! When we arrived at the dining room he was asked to put on a loan jacket, but he was able to go back to the cabin and collect his own. We ended up having dinner with the Hotel Manager. He shouted some VERY nice wines :)

If you don't want to lug a tux/suit you can always hire one on board. They have women's wear as well. There are links to the hire company on the HAL website. (You may have to log in and go to your reservation to book formal wear)

Cheers,

I also have trouble with cruise ship water. After many cruises I wondered why, within 24 hours of boarding, I had so many digestive problems (I call it 'cruise belly', kind of like Bali belly or Delhi belly, if you get my drift - and no it is NOT noro!). I eliminated certain foods across several cruises and still no joy. I initially suspected excess salt and hidden dairy (I am also dairy intolerant). On my last cruise, on Celebrity, we were Aqua Class and got complimentary bottled water. This was the first time that I primarily drank bottled water rather than the usual tap water. On this cruise I had much less of a problem. I have since done some research and I think I have found the culprit - I believe there is something about the desalinating process that does not agree with my digestive system. I only drink bottled water and avoid ice, pasta and rice, and take daily medication while on board to minimise the effects :( Still it hasn't stopped me cruising :)

Cheers,

Hi Bluesky,

I am on the same cruise as you. We have a pretty active roll call going here http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1701919, feel free to read through it and drop in and say 'Hi'.

Regarding the check in times, we are leaving from Auckland and there are limited facilities at the dock. The staggered boarding is to reduce congestion and get everyone on board efficiently. You can try turning up early and risk being sent away, or maybe security will let you through. (Whenever we have been given staggered boarding we have been asked by security for our cabin details to ensure we are attempting to board at the right time). Either way, you can still drop off your bags anytime from mid morning. If you get sent away, there are some great ferry trips around the bay (such as over to Waiheke Island or Devenport).

See you on board!

Bon Voyage e1 and have fun ... I can't wait to hear all about it when you return :)

I do think all the lines that cruise in and out of Australia are good, most are newer then P&O , but I do like the old style of cruising and wish they would being it back. as most you know we only stay in suites, yes we pay more but we like the things that go with it and the way bigger room.

I'm going to ignore the obvious and just keep my comment relevant to your suggestion that P&O suites are somehow superior to other cabin grades and cruise lines ...

I've stayed in a suite on P&O and been disappointed in the verandah space and really tired condition of the cabin. When I compare my P&O experiences (three cruises, only one was in a suite) to my experience on other lines, then yes, the suites are a little larger than, say, standard balcony cabins on HAL and X, but the balcony space on P&O is WAY less. If you have a family in the cabin, I can understand the desire for extra cabin floor space, but I personally would prefer a balcony with a lounger or two and a slightly smaller cabin area.

I have looked at a few P&O cruises in recent months, but I always reject them because other cruise lines offer more inclusions in the cruise fare - and for me it is all about what it will cost at the end of the cruise, not the cruise fare.

As a teacher, I can only cruise during school holidays and P&O offer nothing out of the ordinary during these peak times, just the usual South Pacific or Qld runs - so I look for a more interesting itinerary and/or ship amongst all the offerings. I am looking forward to trying out Rhapsody for the first time in 7 weeks and looking forward to a couple of relaxing weeks on Solstice in January.

Cheers

Staggered boarding times out of Sydney and Auckland are in place because these cruise terminals have not been set up to deal with the volume of passengers that the larger ships need to embark. It is not limited to X - I believe that Voyager OTS and Carnival Spirit also have staggered boarding times in these ports. By all means turn up when you check out of your hotel/arrive from the airport and drop off your baggage. If embarkation is light, you may be allowed to board. However, also be aware that you may be turned away and asked to return at your designated time.

Cheers,

Hi David,

I couldn't help myself and booked a nice little 7 nighter on the current RCL sale! My first time as a solo cruiser since my husband can't get away, but I am dragging a newbie along for the ride ;). Weeeeeeee!

12 December 2013, Rhapsody OTS, Tasmania

Cheers,

I believe with Jetstar here in Australia you are not allowed to bring on your own food.

While I normally avoid Jetstar whenever possible, I flew to Darwin on Jetstar in March. It was a four hour flight, and my sister and I had a little picnic of goodies we brought onboard. :D

Cheers,

Hi David,

We are sailing on the Solstice - again! - 3rd January 2014. 14 nights, Auckland to Sydney.

Thanks

In January we unloaded luggage in Melbourne (we were nearing the end of a 4 week holiday - including two cruises - and our car was in Melbourne). We had to let the cruise line know a couple of days in advance and had to be up very early to present the luggage to customs (about 6am from memory). It wasn't too difficult. There were dozens of people off loading luggage ... both passengers and crew.

Regarding the advice about the lockers at the station - I very much doubt that you would be able to leave your luggage at in the lockers at Southern Cross for that long. From my hazy memory of the last time I used the lockers, maximum time for locker hire is 7 days.

I would imagine that most 4* or better hotels would look after your luggage, providing you let them know before hand.

Good Luck ...

Anandaindonesia, I apologise for hijacking your thread somewhat! But I hope this is of some help to you, too. If you have an unlocked phone, this might be a good option for NZ.

I've done a little bit of research (I call it googling ;)) and it looks like NZ Telecom have a pretty good bundle for NZ$19. It gives 60 minutes of talk, unlimited text, and 500MB data. (It expires after 1 month). The details are on the NZ Telecom website here: http://www.telecom.co.nz/mobile/mobile/plansandpricing/prepaid/

Has anyone had any experience with this? Are there any potential problems or issues we would need to be aware of? I am planning on walking into a NZ Telecom shop, buying the SIM and having them set it up then and there, so I know it will work!

Cheers,

I too am interested in buying a Sim Card with a data package, primarily for NZ, but we will also be going to New Caledonia and Vanuatu.

We are from Brisbane Australia and we bought a "Woolworths Global Sim Card" from out woolworths Supermarket. It was able to be used on Sun Princess and in New Zealand. All details are on their website.

 

$29 cost with $10 included credit. We bought credit at Woolies before gonig but can also be topped up online. Valid for 12 months

I had a look at the Woolworths website, and this package would be fine for calls and texts in NZ, but the data package is not worth it. It would certainly save on call and text costs in Vanuatu and New Caledonia, although the rates are still very high ($1.17/min to make and $1.52/min to receive calls in Vanuatu) but forget about using it for data roaming ($11.50/MB).

I like the idea of a local data package in NZ, as we are doing our own thing in some ports (like hiring a car) and it would be handy to be able to use google maps.

Can any of our NZ friends suggest a sim card/data package that can be easily purchased over the counter?

(And before the usual suspects start lecturing about "turning the phone off", "you're on holidays" etc., let me say that it would be nice to be in a position to do that. However, we own a business that operates 7 days/week, and while we have an excellent crew of capable staff :), we still need to be in contact on a regular basis.)

Cheers,

Thanks for the photo's Sutho ... we will be on her on just a few weeks. Then a quick layover in Sydney before jumping on board the Solstice. What a January!!:D

You are correct, Barry. The sanitisers only clean your hands of bacteria. Any viruses that may be present on your hands before using the gel, will still be there after. It is one of my biggest annoyances, as I believe it makes some people complacent and may be used in place of regular hand washing and other good hygenic practices. Viruses can only be removed by extensive handwashing with soap.

The norovirus itself is incredibly tiny (one of the smallest), and is found in all bodily fluids of the infected person. This means that if an infected person coughs or sneezes the virus can become airborn (albeit temporarily) and can be transmitted this way too. This is part of the reason that it can spread so easily.

Hope I made it on time for the next list :)

Today I just booked the 10 night South Pacific Cruise on the Oosterdam for 2nd January, 2012. Looking forward to trying a larger HAL ship, and I got a very nice price too ;)

Cheers,

Hi David,

Could you add on another for me please ...

Celebrity Solstice, 16th January 2013, Sydney - Auckland.

Can't wait to try X and picnic on the lawn! We got a great deal on an Aqua Class cabin and $99 return flights *happy dance*

Cheers,

Hi David,

I have just booked a quickie for May ... would you mind adding me to the list?

18 May, Dawn Princess, Sydney to Brisbane

Thank you!

Tipping - Only service staff (stewards/waiters/bar staff/head waiters) are part of the tipping pool. I am sure that they receive tips (on ships where auto-tips are in place) as I have seen a notice stating that they will receive the tips they are entitled to before they leave the ship at the end of their contract. The kitchen & laundry staff etc. receive a flat wage and do not receive tips.

I can't speak for other cruiselines, but this is not the case on HAL. At all three disembarkation talks on my cruises the Cruise Director has made it very clear that the Hotel Service Charge ($11.50/person/day) applies to all service personnel - stewards, wait staff, laundry staff, general cleaners, etc. They even mentioned the % that goes to the different categories, but I don't recall the exact details (it is something like 35% food/bev/galley staff, 35% room stewards/cleaning staff and 30% ancillary service staff). I also asked one of the wine stewards who we have become friendly with about the handing in of tips, and Paul confirmed that if passengers have removed the Hotel Service Charge (HSC) they are instructed that all tips received from those people are to be handed in will be distributed as per the HSC. There is a list of those passengers in the crew area and it is regularly updated as people make changes to their on board account (some people leave it to the last day to remove all the HSC's).

Now this next comment is a general comment that is a reflection of my own values and opinions. It might not be our culture to tip, and it might be initially uncomfortable to do so, but I think the prepaid tips or daily charge is a great compromise for those (including me, even after several cruises and really TRYING to understand the purpose and benefits of tipping) who find the "palming of cash" transaction awkward.

My personal opinion is that if I can't factor in these charges into my budget, then maybe I can't afford to cruise. I have been to the countries that these people hail from, and it really puts "dirt poor" into perspective. To have or not have, based on where I was born, means that I really should be counting my blessings and NOT the savings I could make from not tipping these people. <steps off soapbox, with cap in hand:o>

To the OP, if you leave the daily charge in place, or have prepaid gratuities, all your tipping/gratuity obligations have been met. If you want to recognise individuals for exceptional service, then that is up to you, but certainly not expected. Can I suggest that on US ships that follow the US culture in Australia waters, like HAL and Celebrity, that you might like to consider the accepted US practice to tip a $ or two for any room service orders (like brekky or dinner in the cabin). We usually have $20 or so in US$1 notes for this purpose, and the stewards seem to appreciate this gesture.

(All the above was written with no intent to upset or offend anyone :))

Cheers,

Thanks for asking this question, Maggie. I too am interested in any advice fellow CCers might have.

We will be on a HAL cruise overnighting at Laem Chabang and I too plan on overnighting in Bangkok. I know that the ship provides return transfers each day, as these are listed with the available ships tours. Has any one ever been able to purchase a ship transfer to Bangkok on day 1, overnight in Bangkok and returning to Laem Chabang on day 2? I am happy to find my own transport, but I do like the security of purchasing the ships own organised transfers.

Cheers:)

Please add this one for me ... October 1 2011, Pacific Dawn, Brisbane to Auckland. (My first time with a balcony, and a mini suite at that, yay :).).

Thank you

Well I am now all booked and paid for, yay! I should not be left alone with the internet and a credit card :D.

btw, I was referring to Victorian school holidays, so sorry to get your hopes up, Ann. I am new to teaching, and I am used to booking holidays whenever it suited, rather than finding good deals in holiday time. They can be far and few between, so I was rapt to find this little gem.

I am off to add another countdown clock:D

Hi all,

I just got a quote for a 4-nighter on the Pacific Dawn, Brisbane to Auckland. It is during school holidays (1-5 Oct) which suits me perfectly as a teacher. And the best part? Mini Suite $549 pp!!!! And the online agent has quoted return flights from Auckland to Melbourne at $170pp.

So all up?

• Flights Melbourne to Brisbane $155pp (I could probably find cheaper, but I prefer to fly domestically with QANTAS)
  
• Mini Suite $549 pp
  
• Flights Auckland to Melbourne $170pp
  

TOTAL $874

Now I am one of those who swore off P&O after a not-so-good experience on the Sun, but for this price, and did I mention it was a mini suite:D, I am willing to give them another go.;)

ceejay3377 - 23 December 2011 - HAL Zaandam 30 nights Sydney to Hong Kong

Thanks!