Astro Flyer

I doubt if Lavazza coffee costs 75% more but there are other costs. In December we cruised Celebrity for the first time & their free coffee was made using ground Lavazza coffee.

Mahalo…we have considered flying HA via Honolulu (miles or cash) from LAX but that took more than a day to get to BNE (over 10 hours longer than on a non-stop) but will continue to consider that option. HA is our favorite airline when flying between LA & Maui several times per year and we like their service and 2-4-2 economy seating on their A330 aircraft. A Melbourne friend suggested JetStar where they get great rates to Honolulu. I learned they’re a subsidiary of Qantas & based on reviews they’re even more unreliable than Qantas. In 2009 we arrived 3 days before our cruise from Sydney to LA but due to United misplacing our luggage in San Francisco it arrived the night before boarding. We’ll arrive in Brisbane a few days in advance but want both our luggage & us to arrive at the same time. ☺️

Being an American had to do some research to understand the context of that “Memo to Alan Joyce” which I now better understand. I discovered that Qantas had record profits in the first quarter so hopefully they’ll reinvest those profits into improving their performance. We recently rebooked our bucket list Around Australia cruise for March 2025 that was canceled due to the pandemic in September 2020. While our flights won’t be available to book to Brisbane roundtrip until a year from now, we’ve been surprised at the available airfares up to March 2024 which are nearly triple of in 2020. We’re reading that’s a result of having more demand than supply but averaging about $2,000 USD per person that’s 2/3 of our 28 day cruise fare. Is Qantas routinely that unreliable? We’re primarily considering Qantas & Air New Zealand (flew them to SYD via AKL in 2009)…if you had a choice between a Qantas non-stop roundtrip LAX/BNE/LAX flight and ANZ via AKL which one would you chose if pricing was similar. While my question isn’t directly related to cruising it is about how to get there for our dream cruise Around Australia on Crown Princess.

It was very disappointing & maybe someday…we just rebooked our other bucket list cruise Around Australia for 2025 after our previous 2020 booking was canceled due to the pandemic.

Glad that the health cancelation process is back to what I experienced 5 years ago when a health issue just days before flying using EZair to LHR for a Norway cruise resulted in a cancelation.

This 1977-1978 Princess brochure shows how much those cruises cost. A conversion chart shows $1 in 1977 is equivalent to $5 today. Thus a 3 day cruise costing $228 in 1977 for the cheapest interior cabin would now cost $1,140 and no one would pay that much for a 3 day cruise on Princess or any other mass-market cruise line. 1977 Princess Brochure.pdf

🤙

The corkage fee is charged to your onboard account & would use available OBC as payment. OBC is a credit to your account from which any debits are deducted except when purchasing FCDs which are directly charged to the creditcard you’re using to pay your account’s balance.

I’ve had the same experience as you & was concerned but both separate bookings of our B2B cruises were issued SOBC. That section has been very efficient & can issue your SOBC in a matter of hours…enjoy it. 😊

This thread from April 2022 has photos provided by HaveDogWillTravel although availability can vary due to supply issues.

Here’s a link to your roll call where hopefully someone has room for both of you.

My recent B2B experiences have been that even with two separate bookings with two booking numbers, the app will show one combined cruise. I’ve received SOBC for each cruise so you should receive the appropriate amount of SOBC for both cruises. Check your Cruise Personalizer & you should see two cruises with different booking numbers to apply for two SOBCs.

You can contact Princess for that answer & not me…I merely posted the Princess info. 🙄

Most guests will be able to access once your cruise is paid in full. Early access for Captain's Circle Platinum and Elite members as well as guests booked in Reserve Collection and Suites. https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/food-and-dining/dine-my-way/

A photo of the taped off area that’s full of loungers.

As I recall Carnival Corporation which includes Princess outsourced their IT before the pandemic.

If we’re there at the same time let us know…we squeezed a 6’8” guy into our minivan & as I recall you’re not quite as tall? ☺️

We went Upcountry for the views & for a Maui Wine tasting with lunch across the street at the Ulapalakua Ranch Store…ono-licious. 😋 Have a great visit on the Valley Isle. 😊

Ululani’s now has a franchise store on O’ahu across the street from Leonard’s Bakery so you could compare it sometime…being a displaced local girl you’re much more of an expert on shave ice than me. 🍧 https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/ululanis-hawaiian-shave-ice-opens-on-oahu/

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2023/04/10/we-asked-you-answered-15-best-places-get-shave-ice-hawaii/

At Breakwall Shave Ice in the Wharf Center across from the Banyan Tree they have shave ice…with alcohol. And on Front Street is Ululani Hawaiian Shave Ice which Hawaii Magazine just rated #1 in all of Hawaii. 😋

Hopefully our timing will be good someday or maybe even on the same cruise. 🤙

We picked up cruise friends for a day Upcountry & when returning to Lahaina they went to the Pioneer Inn adjacent to the tender dock for drinks & to watch the long tender line. The bar rings a bell for last tender call when the lines get short. 🍻

Based on this website it’s Berth 92…it’s the longer pier to accommodate that size of ship but has a smaller terminal & uses a tent next to the battleship USS Iowa to get bags during disembarkation. https://www.portsamerica.com/operations/cruise-los-angeles-terminal-schedule

We’re also new to O & as I recall reading there is a BOGO happy hour daily…4:00 to 6:00? I’ve read that for some it’s been required to get the exact same drink.