Aus Traveller

Before our P&O cruise at the end of August, I finally 'tamed' the VeriFly. When we got to the terminal, it seemed that the info I had painstakingly up-loaded wasn't used at all. Apparently the check-in staff do NOT have access to the VeriFly info. It is used to ensure that the ship has 95% of passengers fully vaccinated. At check-in they even took our photos again. everything was duplicated.

With Princess it is either/or. I my estimation, maybe 20% of men wear a dinner suit, another maybe 40% wear a suit and the remainder have either trousers, shirt & tie or shirt/evening vest & bowtie, or simply a dressy shirt. I haven't been on a Carnival ship for many years so cannot comment.

Other parts of the world have different laws and a different attitude to smoking compared with Australia's. 🙂

You can walk on and off, but have to keep to a roped off section of the wharf. Make sure you take government photo ID (driver's licence or passport) as you will have to show it before you can return to the ship. This is in addition to your cruise card/medallion.

The investigation was botched, mainly by the NSW Water Police officer who was sent to Noumea to board the ship to carry out an investigation. He just partied on board. When he returned to Aust he didn't put in a report. He went on stress leave for two years. Fact. The doctor on board believed Ms Brimble died from natural causes, but even so a guard was put on the cabin. Unfortunately it was his first day on the job. One f the guys who had been locked out of that cabin went to the Purser and asked to be allowed to get his personal gear (shaving stuff etc). The Purser accompanied him to the cabin and instructed the security guard to allow the man into the cabin to get what he wanted. On reading the Inquest reports, it doesn't appear that it was a deliberate attempt to clean up to remove evidence. Anyway, the men involved freely admitted that they took drugs on board.

Napier is a working wharf and passengers are not permitted to walk outside an area very close to the ship. There is a free shuttle bus into the centre of town - a ten-minute drive. Make sure you have government photo ID (driver's licence or passport), both for Napier and for Port Chalmers. Otherwise you will have to wait outside the secure area for a security officer from the ship to come and check that your ship ID is current and then escort you to the ship. Alternatively your partner can go on board, get the ID and come back for you.

We have docked in Napier probably 10 or more times. It is never a tender port.

In extreme weather Napier can be missed. It is a trickly port for the ships to enter and manoeuvre to the wharf. You would also know that Milford Sound is often missed because of bad weather.

Agreed. When we completed our seven days of COVID, the Qld Heath Dept said we didn't need to take another RAT test. One of my extended family had COVID in the very early days - March/April 2020. She was immediately put into isolation in hospital even though she wasn't very ill. She was allowed to go home after several days but had tests regularly. She tested positive for at least seven WEEKS after she was released from hospital. She was told she could go out as she was no longer infectious. She stayed at home anyway.

I am surprised they were still using drinking straws.

Princess has been quite clear all along on what they require - an unsupervised RAT test within 24 hours of sailing. An additional requirement has been added recently. Now we have to photograph the test strip with a clock or phone that shows the time of the test. Princess and P&O are following the protocols agreed with the state governments prior to the re-starting of cruising. It is likely that NCL will have the same requirements for its passengers.

Thank you. I will post a short review when we get home. This cruise will be interesting as it is the first one into Port Vila after the COVID shut-down. I don't want to call it a 'pause'. If it was, it was a veeeeery looooong pause.

I got audio but not vision.

I probably wouldn't go into a restaurant alone either. On cruises, my husband stays in bed longer than I do. He does at home also. I like to go to the MDR for breakfast and lunch but he likes to go to the buffet. He said he can get just what he wants. He is happy to go with me to the MDR for dinner then to a show afterwards. Otherwise I spend a fair part of the day on my own.

The bus is at the cruise terminal, but I am pretty sure you have to pre-book it. The Princess rep in the airport always has a clipboard with a list of names of the passengers who have tickets. Getting a shuttle bus ticket for the end of the cruise is easy - just go to the Shore Excursions desk to arrange it.

I'll be fine. I mix easily. The roll call has been very active and I have a lot of friends on there. We have been meeting for lunch occasionally.

I agree. I doubt that the Princess rep could take money and issue a ticket on the spot. I will email my TA. Previously when two of us where cruising, we always got a taxi. It wasn't that much more expensive, but on the WC I am going alone.

I only need the one shuttle ticket - Sydney airport to OPT. Someone suggested I front up to the Princess rep in the terminal and organise a ticket but I don't know if they sell them on the spot. I don't want to be stuck paying for a taxi just for one person when a shuttle ticket is a lot cheaper.

We booked a guarantee balcony on our 5th Nov cruise and also on one on 28th August. On both, we received an email notification of our cabin around nine days prior to the cruise. Co-incidentally we have the same cabin next week that we had in August. It is in a fantastic location, but the air-con wasn't good. I hope it has been fixed. I suggest you try Angelos restaurant. The decor is lovely and the food is superb. From memory, I think they changed the menu half way through the seven-day cruise. We enjoyed what we had on our first visit and were looking forward to having it again - particularly the potato soup. It doesn't sound appetizing, but it is great. However, the menu was different on our second visit.

I can't find it on the Personalizer. I booked the cruise through a TA but I don't like to bother him with minor things like a shuttle ticket, although I might have to. Sorry to hear that Frank has COVID. It's great that you are keeping well and can still get out to get supplies.

Good. Hopefully it will be a comfortable temperature. 🙂

Irene, did you pre-book the Princess shuttle? If so, where were you able to book it?

Was their meter 'faulty'? (I don't want to suggest it had been doctored.)

Why do you think they didn't do the 'drive-by' of Willis Island? I am pretty sure they did.

With the company we booked with, it was required. I wouldn't bother with the train and I wouldn't suggest that overseas people do either. A taxi for two people is only a little bit more expensive, but it is so much easier.