LPGA Golfer Gal

On 6/15/2024 at 9:55 PM, pirate4me2 said:

I know there was a Bad Boys movie playing, but other than that I do not remember. Sorry 😞 

On 6/16/2024 at 8:47 AM, nydney1 said:

It was Bad Boys and the new Mad Max movie Furiosa (SP) the week beofre

Thank you so much! Cannot wait to be on the ship again!

Thank you for fantastic review pirate4me2.

We get on Vista in couple of weeks. Any idea what the IMAX shows were? Thanks again

24 minutes ago, pirate4me2 said:

Thanks for coming along!

24 minutes ago, pirate4me2 said:

Thanks for coming along!

This will be a concise review of some things I struggled to find before we left, things we wondered about and the trip in general.

Sydney: loved the city. So much to see and do in the area. We arrived 2 days prior and thank good ness we did. The trip was long, especially the flight from LA to Sydney.  There are all the chain hotels but they are relatively pricey, especially near the port. We chose to stay in one of many little boutique hotels that are quaint. Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel. The folks there are great, very welcoming and we loved our stay. The only issue was we were on the 3rd floor, no elevator and we had a lot of luggage. Loved having the location in The Rocks. Easily accessible and loved the vibe.

Our full day in Sydney we booked a private sightseeing tour with Real Sydney Tours. They will cater to what you want to do. Loved our day!

Getting around Sydney is very easy as they have great public transport, the bigger issue for us was pre arranging an airport pickup/drop off. When we travel we like to pre pay for shuttles. As indicated we did not travel lightly so we needed a “maxi taxi”.  We wanted it pre paid and really had a challenge booking as we did not have a local Sydney cell phone. We managed but was not easy. At the port when we came back from the trip it was very easy to get sorted with a maxi taxi - you go upstairs once you’ve got your luggage and they are very organized without setting folks up with appropriate vehicle pickup.

Cruise:

So, very confusing before we left for Australia- to.d to book excursions once on board, but most of the excursions popped in prior to leaving for the trip. We wanted a scuba excursion to the Outer reef. I was desperate to find a way to book my husband and daughter on this bucket list excursion in our bucket list trip BUT I could not find the information very easily. 
Our stops for the 9 day trip were: Tangalooma (Moreton),  Airlie Beach, Cairns and missed the sail around weather station(Willis Island).

Tangalooma: booked Snorkel the Wrecks(power scooter) - booked pre cruise. This was a tender into the beach area on Carnival lifeboat/tenders. About 25 mins tender time. Enjoyed the excursion BUT did not realize there were time slots. Our trip was 9:30 and the cloud cover and conditions were pretty rough. There were a lot of people and the excursion felt a bit crowded. Loved seeing the wrecks, some fish and wobbegong sharks. If we did this excursion again I would suggest later in day when sun is up and the views would be better and warmer.

Airlie Beach: Ocean Rafting- Whitsundays: Tender into port again but more like 30-40 mins. Gets quite hot in the tenders as they pack folks in. If possible stay outside (hot/sunny but more air).

This was our favourite excursion. A large inflatable takes us out past the ship and around to a couple of the smaller Whitsunday Islands. The trip is 45 mins but well worth the trip. Unbelievable snorkeling, beautiful views, less crowded feel and very knowledgeable crew. Lunch was included at the end and absolutely loved the entire experience.

Cairns: we docked here.  this was the excursion I had been waiting for - The Great Barrier Reef - thanks to folks on the other group on FB I was able to read that it had populated in the excursions. The booking allowed you a ride out to the reef and snorkel included. Once on the catamaran (a great looking boat, very comfortable- Reef MagicII) you are able to then add the Scuba portion. This trip…. Hmmm… awful! Unbelievably rough and just nothing about getting to the reef - 90 mins- was enjoyable. More than half the boat got sick, me included. Once we arrived all was well. Get in the water and everything was great. Hubby and daughter got set up for their dive, they were happy and I joined the snorkel group to see the GBR. The reef is unbelievable and vast! It is amazing to see so many different coral, fish and sea life. The trip back on the cat was slower and thus better but really a rough way to get out there. 
Splendor:

Despite the pink, the ship was great. Loved the trip, the crew went above and beyond. I would absolutely do this trip again, but I would consider a back to back as the trip there and back was long. Our family just did not have option to stay longer due to schedules but would do two cruises next time!

Random thoughts:

- loved having the REd Frog Pub for hanging out to play games

- Serenity area is fantastic!

- Fahrenheit 555 was fabulous

- our dining room staff were fun and really enjoyed the meals

Loved the Splendor and would do this again!

Very excited to read a review of Splendor, Sydney (we are on GBR next month) - excited to hear about whether there are extra excursions/different excursions available once on board. Not a lot available online and no Reef excursions to the outer reef to be able to scuba dive. Looking forward to reading more. Thank you for doing this review

19 hours ago, lasekeye said:

LPGA Golfer Gal,

yes, it was soooo frustrating not to be able to book from a plethora of excursions, compared to the norm with Carnival.  Many cruisers from “the land of Down Under”, that’s how things are done.  We did have some options populate fairly close to sail date, I think once the check-in date came all of the excursions were posted.

Our sailing didn’t cover any of the Australian Ports, we visited some of the South Pacific Islands that had wonderful snorkeling (that’s our “thing”), so unfortunately I can’t comment on the diving options for your ports.

Many ports we “did” our own thing, (excursions were sooooo expensive), check out locally offered diving tours…read their reviews…contact them for info, - use local transportation to get to sites too.

Thank you! Truly appreciate the response and hoping as we get nearer the time things will keep being added.

Will check out all options. Thanks 

On 3/12/2023 at 7:41 PM, lasekeye said:

Sure, would love to help…pay it forward 😉

what are your ports?

Carnival excursions were slow to populate on their site, due to so many of the suppliers not surviving the COVID break, or weren’t quite ready to start.

Thank you.

We booked at start of Covid, hubby and daughter would love to dive the reef, but Carnival has mostly done away on last few cruises in Caribbean with scuba. Australia poet times do not allow for docking and making any trips privately to Reef pontoons. If you just look at all Carnival excursions (without logging in) it lists GBR excursions to reef pontoons where we can snorkel. 
We are at Tangalooma, Airlie Beach (usually lists a GBR excursion here), Cairns (also lists a GBR excursion here)

Currently 100 days out and not one reef excursion. I really am hoping something will still populate on website in coming days.

Im also confused as everything we read and on our booking says excursions can be purchased on board, but they clearly have many to book already and many are already sold out.

Thanks for any insight you may have.

On 3/10/2023 at 10:57 PM, lasekeye said:

Adding —

my PVP explained that in Australia, workers earn more than in North America, they don’t need to rely on tips…therefore tipping in Australia isn’t required or expected, but a small one is always appreciated.

 

Even on land…cabs, restaurants & such….you can round up a bill to be paid, then add a couple dollars if you had good service…but not expected.

Any chance you could answer any questions on excursions on your cruise?

Did you book any? Were there any available before or when you boarded? Booked in June on GBR and cannot see any excursions to Reef at all, hoping something will still show up or on board.

Thanks in advance.

2 hours ago, DogLover said:

As quoted directly from the above link (official Australian Immigration website):

 

"Visit Australia as often as you wish in a 12-month period. Stay up to 3 months each time you enter Australia."

 

I just double-checked on my Australian ETA app and our visas are valid through July 16, 2023 (one year from approval.)

Thank you!

9 hours ago, DogLover said:

A Subclass 651 is not available to US citizens. Applying for the Subclass 601 is super easy using the official Australian ETA app on a smartphone. We just did this in August for a trip and it was seamless! Yes, there is a processing fee of $20AUD. Our visas were approved in minutes (we have travelled to Australia previously several years ago using the old online visa application.)

 

Subclass 601 Electronic Travel Authority (homeaffairs.gov.au)

How long is the ETA visa good for? We cruise in June and want to be sure to get visa sorted out in pleNty of time, but is it only a 6month visa?

38 minutes ago, Cruisesfun65 said:

It all depends on what you want to do on your balcony. I've stayed in OT corner balconies on both MG and Celebration, decks 11, 12 and 15.

All other balconies on the right can see you, but there are hardly people using their balcony. If you want to read, chill,  have coffee, no problem.

If you want to run around naked, these balconies are not for you. Pick the DS Excel suite instead. 

Considering MG and looking at balconies (we usually stay in balcony around Lido deck). No clue about this ship and best/worst options for balconies. Any help on what might equal basic balcony on MG would be helpful. 

6 hours ago, Kwilson51 said:

We booked an excursion on the ship which states BOTH snorkeling and diving.  We just need to verify once in board…. So we will see in February.  Husband will be very disappointed if this in inaccurate…. I’ll let ya know.

I will definitely be anxious to hear and hope that it allows diving! Maybe at the platform as an add on! Have a great trip

On 9/19/2022 at 1:00 PM, Kwilson51 said:

We are on the Eclipse February 28, 2023.  Hubby is looking for a deep sea dive maybe while in Carins but it seems we are docking at Yorkey's Knob and times are a bit tough to get to most of the tours......

Also looking for a great smaller snorkel trip while on this sail....suggestions would be helpful!

Thanks

Did you all manage a scuba dive on this trip? We are hoping to get a dive in June but no private excursions line up with ships times.. we’re you able to book privately once on the GBR platform?

13 minutes ago, Bubbeh said:

No idea but, I've never had the opportunity to be the first respondent so I'm delighted to be responding to you, even if it adds no value.   😉

Well good for you. 2023 is off to a great start!

Hoping anyone recently off the Carnival GB Reef cruise or anyone getting ready to depart on one can answer an excursion question: is it possible to book the Carnival excursion the Great Barrier Reef and then still have the option once on the Reef pontoon to buy (at additional cost) a scuba dive once at the platform? Still trying to get clarity on the options and hoping we can book it in addition to Carnival reef excursion which will get us to the reef and back to the ship (none of the private dive companies line up for times with the ship). Specifically asking for Airlie Beach and Cairns stops. Thanks and Happy New Year!

On 12/15/2022 at 9:19 PM, Aus Traveller said:

With your cruise just going to Airlie Beach and Cairns (in North Qld) the options for diving or snorkelling on the reef are limited. Cruises going to Port Douglas have more options available.

 

With most cruises that call into Airlie Beach, passengers can take a catamaran trip to the reef where there is a large pontoon permanently moored. Diving and snorkelling are available. This trip has to be booked through the cruise line because of the timing of the trip. The reef is well off-shore here and it is a long trip to reach the pontoon - worth it in my opinion.

 

From Cairns, I suggest a trip to Fitzroy Island. The cruise ship wharf is very close to where the boats leave for Fitzroy and Green Island.

Question: looks like we could get a ferry to Green Island and do a scuba dive there. Do you know anything about whether the ferry is an option with ship arrival/departure times? If they offer scuba as a private option (not through ship) and if this is feasible? Your excursion guide did not show much in way of trips to reef for Cairns. Thanks

On 12/15/2022 at 9:19 PM, Aus Traveller said:

With your cruise just going to Airlie Beach and Cairns (in North Qld) the options for diving or snorkelling on the reef are limited. Cruises going to Port Douglas have more options available.

 

With most cruises that call into Airlie Beach, passengers can take a catamaran trip to the reef where there is a large pontoon permanently moored. Diving and snorkelling are available. This trip has to be booked through the cruise line because of the timing of the trip. The reef is well off-shore here and it is a long trip to reach the pontoon - worth it in my opinion.

 

From Cairns, I suggest a trip to Fitzroy Island. The cruise ship wharf is very close to where the boats leave for Fitzroy and Green Island.

Thank you. Hoping to see some options once on board. So hard to plan without seeing the options. Loved seeing the book of excursion options. Thanks for sharing

On 12/14/2022 at 7:00 AM, aussielozzie18 said:

Airlie Beach is a tender port.  Instead of the ship’s small tenders, they were using the large  reef sightseeing boats like ‘Reef Magic’ to take us from the ship to Airlie Beach wharf.

 

We had a booked a ship tour as we wanted to go snorkeling and felt it was safer, time wise to go via the ships tour.  With Carnival Australia ship tours, you cannot book in advance.  You can only book once on board.  Confusing thing was their website before the cruise had several tours listed as “sold out”. Apparently it’s a glitch in their computer system.

 

 

 

This is a great review. So excited to start reading Australia trips. We are on Splendor coming in June 2023. So disappointed to not have any options for dives on GBR. Do you happen to have any excursion details with what options you had at various stops. So panicked thinking about waiting to book on board. Thanks.

We will be on GBR cruise in June 2023 and will love to know how your experience is on this. Desperate to dive on this cruise but no options. I’ll be following your report and would love to know what excursions end up being offered at all the stops.

7 minutes ago, crewsweeper said:

I know at one time Blue Water Divers, the outfit that did scuba for cruise ships, wasn't operating.  That was during all the restrictions but their website is down.  Try these folks, they are very good independent divers.

Snorkel and Diving Excursions - Grand Turk Diving Co, Ltd. (gtdiving.com)

Thank you!

On 10/28/2022 at 2:56 PM, adventuredancer said:

we go to grand turk in a week. we were told to bring the cards and that it would be checked when we were getting off. i'll try to remember to check back here and let you know.

Can you confirm if there were any scuba excursions listed on your cruise?  We go in December and cannot see any scuba listed at all.  Thanks in advance

On 9/1/2022 at 8:17 PM, beatleman said:

Cairns or Airlie are your stops to go to the GBR for diving. Suggert you look  at Viator.com to see what suits you, remember that most of these leave the dock at 8am and return about 4pm. Ships  arrival and departure times are important if you don't use ships excursions. Hope this helps, not sure that June is the best time of the year to dive the GBR maybe a Queenslander can advise.

Thank you.  We are limited by vacation time so we are making the best of the time of year.  More worried about being able to scuba when we are on the ship. Thanks for your reply.

On 9/4/2022 at 9:20 AM, Mrs f. said:

We will be docked in Cairns in December.    I booked a tour with Great Adventures gbr pontoon.  We are doing snorkeling but they also do scuba.  Reason I picked them is because we get in at 8.  Most tours leave earlier than that. This one leaves around 10ish.  Google Cairns  (or airlie) gbr day trips. Others will come up also.  Remember to check their check in times and return times.  

Which cruiseline are you with?  I do hope they offer scuba as part of the excursions not only snorkeling.  I would be very interested to know after your trip if you had scuba listed on the options.  Thank you for your information.

Yes we are on the Splendor 9 nights.  He and my daughter who got scuba qualified to be able to dive the GBR are looking forward to diving any and all opportunities.  I hope the excursions populate online before hand so we know what we are looking at.

I have read online (CC) that folks think the cruises are doing away with scuba due to insurance... I truly hope this is not true as the Australia trip is for diving! 

Thanks for your feedback.

This is great. Answered. Thank you.

It did look like Cairns was your best dive with pictures and great weather.  I appreciate your follow up so quickly.

Many thanks.