Aus Traveller

Now that there are more ships operating from the BICT, you have to book ahead. For our last cruise, I left it far too late to book P1 so we went by taxi. Our next two cruises are 10 nights and 14 nights respectively, so it is cheaper to go by taxi. It worked very well last time.

Is your balcony right at the front, as in forward-facing? If so, you might not be able to use it while the ship is under way.

No coffee cart at the OPT and no long-term parking. 😁 One complaint about the Brisbane terminal is that there isn't enough parking. There are several hundred spaces. BTW, there weren't any at Portside and I cannot think of any cruise terminal that has long-term parking.

Thanks for your comments. 🙂 I was really puzzled last night when I saw the other person's post. The only difference in the names is the space (or lack thereof) between the two words. Even the default avatar is a similar colour.

I don't think there would be any chance at all that they would accept Canadian dollars. The market stallholders and shops will accept AUD and NZ because they receive so much of these currencies that it is worth the bother and cost of currency conversion when they bank it (but no coins of course). They wouldn't want to be bothered with any other currencies because they would have no idea of the correct exchange rate. All too much trouble.

If the itinerary is similar and the price not too different, without doubt, I would go for Princess. There are several 'bits and pieces' that you have to pay extra for on P&O that are included with Princess. Even if there was a difference of (say) $500pp for a 14 day cruise, I would go for Princess. If it was more than that, maybe not.

I see that, but I was preferring to keep a low profile. My anonymity is now blown! I had a shock last night when I saw a post that I thought was under my name, but I knew I hadn't posted it. Then I looked more closely, and saw it is a new person on CC. BTW, the admin won't get them to change their user name.

As the saying goes, "Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get." The middle of summer is the best time to cruise NZ, but you could have some very cool weather when you are in the far south of NZ. Rain and wind? Luck of the draw.

I have added an avatar to my profile on CC because someone joined the site last Sunday and selected the same name that I have used since 2009. To avoid confusion, I had included my photo, even though I have been rather reluctant to do so.

The reason we don't have to pay gratuities separately (with some cruise lines) is not because we are Australians. They would have to pay the gratuities because the cruise in not an Australian-based one where gratuities are included.

Your comment about Portside calls to mind our first cruise out of there in 2008. We had to queue in the open air then go into a big white tent for check-in.

These ports are close to the centre of an established city. In Brisbane, the CBD is quite a distance from the coast and cannot be reached by modern ships, particularly after several bridges have been built. 😁 The BICT has to be where the ships can reach and where the water is deep enough even at low tide. I can't see a good public transport system running to the BICT. However, there should be a shuttle bus to the CBD when a ship calls into Brisbane. A local bus company used to do this when Fishermans Island was used so maybe they will start again. Possibly the problem is getting enough drivers for the buses. Finding enough staff is an issue in many industries.

I haven't been on the Volendam, but I can safely answer "No". Sometimes, representatives from a local bank come on board after the ship docks, but this always involves a delay. If you want local currency, it is probably easier to get it ashore from a currency exchange or withdraw currency from an automatic teller machine.

Princess has 14 excursions when Brisbane is a port of call. There would not be sufficient people to run these tours for a relatively small number of B2B passengers. Unless public transport is excellent (like at the OPT in the centre of Sydney) I cannot see many people using public transport for embarkation and disembarkation.

No. You do not. It is only illegal stuff that is of interest to the authorities. They don't care how much OTC and prescribed meds you bring in. It won't be what is regarded as commercial quantities anyway - just what you need plus some extra leeway in case your return home is delayed.

Really? Many hundreds doing back to back who would use a shuttle bus?

My point exactly.

1. The incoming passenger card will be given to you on the plane. 2. If you mark 'yes' to the food or wooden articles line, the officer who checks you form will direct you to a Quarantine Officer. This is different from 'something to declare'. The Quarantine Officers will NOT search through your luggage unless they are suspicious. 3. It is better to have the item in your carry-on bag if you can, or at least, easily reachable in your check-in bag just in case they want to look at it. The items most likely to be checked are wooden items, checking for wood borers. The suggestion of having the items in your carry-on is simply to save you time in case they want to inspect something. 4. They will not be interested in OTC medicines or prescription medicines. The items covered in #1 are illegal drugs. 5. Ginger candy - bring as much as you like. The whitener in Pre-mixed coffee is probably non-dairy so you would not need to declare it. If you are unsure, then declare it. When you tell the officer they will just wave you through. Most important - DON'T STRESS OVER THIS. There are only problems if people try to smuggle in salami or some Asian foods that might be carrying animal or plant diseases that are not present in Australia.

I agree with you. I do not consider gum a food item. It is not consumed. Following this suggestion, then all vitamin supplements would also be considered food. They are actually consumed whereas gum isn't. There is no way gum can be food.

But if you have to show the test strip to the cabin steward, how can anyone hide a positive result?

I feel that transport is necessary when a ship calls into Brisbane as a port of call, but not so essential when it is a turn-around port. I do realise there are some B2B passengers, but doubt that there would be sufficient to warrant a shuttle bus. Even if there were 30 or 40 people, they wouldn't all want to go to the CBD and they wouldn't all want to go at the same time.

The only difference from our cruises late last year is that we now need a photo ID with the RAT. We photographed each of our RATS separately so will continue to do the same (but now including a pic of our passports).

The terminal had to be built in an area of the river that could be reached by large cruise ships and where it was wide enough for them to turn around. When the terminal was opened, it was announced that the walkway to the ship is 350 metres long. I calculated the various distances as I walked and reckon that is correct. I felt it was a long way and maybe it could have been designed somewhat better, but the design had to allow for tidal variation.

Yes, but how often? Maybe there will be a shuttle bus to Airlie Beach.

thanks for that extra info.