Aus Traveller

Get a maxi taxi (a van). If you request a maxi taxi it is a little bit more expensive than a normal-sized taxi, but for a group of four with luggage, it would be the best way to get to the cruise terminal.

Each time we have done a RAT test, when I have looked at it a considerable time later, the result is the same. Is it valid? If it hasn't changed, it would be.

I read 1,500 on a news site on line. That doesn't mean it is true ......

A couple of times we pre-booked and pre-paid for a shuttle bus to take us from the domestic terminal to the cruise ship. Never again. We had to wait ages - more than an hour - even though we phoned a couple of times. The shuttle bus stopped at a few hotels before taking us to the ship. It took probably twice as long as a taxi would but it would be a matter of luck whether you were first to be dropped off, or last. At that time there was a desk near the luggage carousel where you could book a shuttle bus. This could be worth checking out. I cannot tell you what the cost is now.

I would go by taxi. We have never had to wait in a queue for a taxi at Sydney airport. The other options are train (a tiny bit cheaper but less convenient) or a shuttle bus ( takes ages as it makes numerous stops).

Thanks for the review. We were on the same cruise as John and Hilary. Our cabin was great. We prefer Princess, but we got our P&O balcony for a great price so were very happy. We had most of our meals in the Waterfront (great) and two dinners in Angelos (excellent). We have cruised with P&O before so we knew that they charge for items/services that are free on Princess. BTW, the cruise terminal in Noumea isn't new. We have docked there numerous times over several years. Sometimes we have had to dock at the container wharf because the harbour near the cruise terminal needed dredging to allow a large ship to tie up. I suggest that this is the reason we were at the container wharf. We decided we wouldn't bother going ashore. From our balcony we could watch the loading of buses for the short trip to the cruise terminal and felt it was very badly managed by P&O staff resulting in long queues.

We haven't ever missed a show because we couldn't get a seat. On one or two occasions, we haven't been able to find seats together in the part of the theatre where we want to sit.

Agreed.👍

At the moment, I wouldn't consider reserved seating to be of any value at all. On our cruises, we went to the show every night and on most nights, there were plenty of seats available even when the show started. The only exceptions were two shows in the (smaller) Universe Theatre. We arrived close to start time and found seats but there weren't many available when the show started.

This thread is about Princess. I don't know why you say there are less seats available to the shows if you don't spend extra. I haven't found that Princess have the option of paying for seats at shows. We have found that the food available is great, even without paying extra.

I agree. We don't book the Plus package, but our daughter who plans to book a Princess cruise soon, is really keen on the $40 deal. I don't think she will be tempted at the higher price.

I received an email from Princess with details of their new Plus and Premier packages. It is the usual marketing trick - a 'better' produce at a higher price. Whether or not the product is better probably depends on the individual. The fitness classes and premium desserts wouldn't interest everyone. Here are the details: You'll be able to upgrade to the new or keep the old at the current price We wanted you to be the first to hear that we're adding brand-new experiences and offerings to our existing packages ❯. What's new: Princess Plus — now $65 per day per guest! premium desserts Juice Bar (smoothies and juices) fitness classes Princess Premier — now $95 per day per guest! premium desserts Juice Bar (smoothies and juices) fitness classes reserved theatre seating Medallion accessory We'll share more details later, but for now know that you'll be able to keep your current Plus or Premier package at the existing price or upgrade to the new enhanced package. After all, we know you love options! New packages go on sale starting 16 December and apply to cruises sailing 20 February 2023, and beyond.^

I believe that school buses are used for the Port Chalmers-Dunedin transfer. On one cruise there was a very long queue in Dunedin for the return trip to the ship, and very few buses. The explanation given was that the buses were required for the school run for a long period in the afternoon.

Late yesterday I applied for the shareholder's OBC for our cruises in January, February and June 2023. This morning I was advised that the OBC had been applied to our January and February cruises, but couldn't be applied to my June cruise at the moment. They asked me to apply again within three months of the cruise. This is fantastic service to have the OBC applied within hours (in working time) of my request and totally different from my experience earlier in the year.

Sorry to hear that Colin has contracted COVID but I am glad to hear that you are being looked after. Hope you avoid the virus.

Princess ships operating out of Aust have 240volt power available in guest cabins. I don't know if Ovation of the Seas does.

We have gone on three cruises this year. On none of these did we see social distancing in the terminal. For the first two cruises, we were required to wear masks in the terminal, but for the 5th November cruise, no masks were required in the terminal. We wore them for embarkation.

Maybe at the start of cruising, the taxi drivers weren't aware of the new terminal. When we disembarked on 12th November there was no shortage of taxis. There was no queue and there were about half a dozen taxis waiting. This was early in the disembarkation process. A week earlier when we went to the terminal by taxi, the driver told us that their despatcher had advised them that a ship would be at the terminal. I feel it would be better for shuttle buses to be available. The trip from the terminal to the Brisbane CBD would take much more than an hour.

I have been experiencing problems booking dining times in the MDR on the Coral Princess for our cruises in January and in February. Today I was advised by a Princess rep that they are no longer taking bookings for dinner in the MDR as they will be operating on an Anytime Dining system. If someone wants a private table they should ask at the dining room when they arrive.

When you arrive in Australia (and that includes disembarking from a cruise) in-coming passengers have to declare any wood items. Keep the items handy as a Quarantine Officer will want to inspect them. They will be looking for wood-borer holes in the timber. This is a quick and painless operation. I doubt that the items you are interested in would have borers, but it is worth having a quick look before you buy a particular item. Years ago a Quarantine Officer told us they look for small tacks put into places where they are not required to hold pieces of timber together. This can be done to disguise a borer hole. Once again, I think this is highly unlikely in the items you are interested in.

I don't think Cooktown is so great that I would take a flight as a day trip from Cairns. Port Douglas and the Daintree are worth a day trip.

I don't think many people go by public transport to the cruise terminal at the start of a cruise. We have always gone by taxi/shuttle bus/car.

There could be day trips to Port Douglas, but there wouldn't be day trips to Cooktown. It is much too far.

You can take some extra bottles of wine and pay the $15 corkage. That is a lot cheaper than paying $47++ for the wine on board. You probably know that after you have paid the corkage, you can take that bottle to the dining room without extra charge. 🙂

I suggest you do some sums and work out whether or not it would be cost effective for you to book the Plus fares. Consider if it would be better for you to pay for drinks as you go and pay the daily rate for the internet. Are you platinum or elite? If so you get 50% discount on the internet charge. You could easily work out what the daily 'saving' would be to book the Saver fare.