frodo1

My wife and I are from Australia and are almost 6-months into a 7-month RTW trip. We commenced with our Black Credit Card Insurance with Allianz but the maximum for that is 180 days and it expires just before we commence a Celebrity Millennium month-long cruise from Vancouver to Tokyo. Long-time travellers, we have never claimed against an insurance policy!

Can we get a one-month policy to cover the one-way cruise, the overnight stay in Tokyo and the flight back to MEL via SGN.

1 hour ago, PacnGoNow said:

Are you going to Greece on your cruise?

No, we're heading to Sydney on a transpacific cruise from Vancouver. Canada requires us to have a negative test b4 boarding. THIS IS A GENERAL SITE. You're on the wrong website! Go to the website for your specific cruise and ask there.

26 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

I can use an online service to monitor a RAT for me using the free test kits they handout like Hallowe'en candy here in Ontario.  (Have not had need to do it yet though).

Thanks mate! We've got several of those free kits - I'll check with a local Pharmacist to see if they're OK and then get onto an approved 'Proctor' service

1 minute ago, Tedferg said:

Try OnPoint Testing - Rapid Antigen and PCR Testing Specialists (onpoint-testing.com) you can use any approved kit, $19 per person for proctored test.

How does this work?! Do I purchase a kit from a local drug store and then arrange an on-line supervised test? I don't see how it would work otherwise as we board on September 20th.

11 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Bring your own test kit and do an online proctored test?

Thx Steelers36! We're in Victoria BC; we're quadruple jabbed and we do carry test kits; but don't have a supervised (proctored?) Test Kit. We've been traveling for almost 6 months on a RTW trip. Had a Pharmacist's RAT in Rome for EU15 and hoped for advice as to how we could get a similar test here.

While I'd rather do a store-managed test, if I don't hear for someone who knows where to get such a test in Victoria, I'll head for a Pharmacy Store and inquire about the 'proctored' test

SUPERVISED ANTIGEN TESTING IN VICTORIA B.C.

Looking for advice as to the cheapest way of getting an acceptable supervised RAT in Victoria B.C. before boarding Majestic Princess on Tue, September 20, '22. The best I can find is C$85!

WILL WE SAIL!

My thinking is booking this cruise (other than we've done it previously and really enjoyed the itinerary and on-board entertainment!) was that:

*  there is huge political and economic pressure on both the Oz and NZ Federal Governments to reopen national borders and restore international travel; and

*  It's starting to look like Oz may be able to resolve the absolute debacle of under-ordering of sufficient vaccine stock.

I think we have a good chance of sailing, but it might be tight!

Although the Tasman Bubble (which allows travel between Oz & NZ without the mandatory 14 days self-funded hotel quarantine) has been suspended by NZ for eight weeks and is likely to be extended until the current NSW outbreak can be contained or squashed, there is a likelihood that Oz will achieve 80% vaccination by the beginning of December '21 and therefore 3 things should be possible:

*  The Tasman Bubble will be re-instituted;

*  Fully-vaccinated pax will be allowed to cruise; and

*  Fully-vaccinated pax will be allowed to use International air travel to enter and leave Oz and NZ.

The only question is whether Princess Cruises will hold off cancelling the cruise long enough for the Oz & NZ Governments to sort things out. Fingers crossed!

We're booked on this cruise but are aware that earlier cruises have been cancelled. Will it sail?

My wife and I have done a couple of Rhine/Danube river cruises. We did AMS-BUD last year and could be interested in doing another (different) cruise if the price was right.

I was amazed at the number of boats leaving AMS each day and quicky found out that most of them leave with empty cabins! However, when I searched, I couldn't find any Consolidator or agency that managed these vacancies. It seems strange to me because, as with Airlines & Sea Cruises, these empty berths are 'dead money' for the company.

My wife and I are exploring the opportunity to turn up in Amsterdam (or any other cruise starting point, including the USA) with a plan to get on any river cruise, leaving that day, to anywhere in the best cabin that is available. If it turns out (and I'd be surprised) that every boat was totally full, we'd be happy (once again!) to rent a car and head off into the sunset for a different sort of holiday.

It seems to me that there HAS to be a system to fill these last-minute, Point-of-Sailing vacancies. Does anyone know what that system is? Is there an on-line way of identifying boat departures and last minute vacancies?

Is it possible to negotiate with the Cruise's on-board Cruise Director in the last couple of hours before departure?

Any pointers would be appreciated and, I'd really like to hear from anyone who has actually done this (8-))

John (Frodo1)

We have a one day port call in mid March. We been to Bali many times and have no particular wish to visit anywhere and DEFINITELY don't want to go to Kuta! We also don't want to shop or visit the 'cultural experiences' again!

We would like to go to a private beach or luxury resort which is relatively close to the ship, spend the day by the pool, have lunch and a few drinks and then get back on the Ship.

Any suggestions?

Had similar experience on Lido deck on other ships - live and learn eh!

Life's too short to drink bad wine!

The Chef's Table sounds like a no-brainer(8-)). Looking fwd to the Japanese night as well.

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Has anyone used the Speciality Restaurants?

Is the degustation menu with wine worth it?

How about the Thai and Japanese Restaurant? On another cruise they had a part of the main buffet restaurant set aside in the evening where they provided an alternative menu which cost a few bucks more but had silver service - is this the same?

Should we book early or can you get into the Restaurants fairly easily?

Does anyone know if they have duplicate bridge sets on board?

Anyone interest in playing bridge on the sea days?

Good to hear from fellow CC'ers. Interested to hear what people who have cruised with Pacific Dawn have done on previous cruises.

We're waiting to be allocated a cabin. Anyone else on a Guarantee?This is a last minute cruise for us to get away from the Melbourne winter for a couple of weeks now that it's pretty certain that my AFL team (Carlton) won't need my barracking over the next month!

A bit apprehensive about the cruise as we usually get a Balcony or mini-suite but non-available; haven't been in a "ocean-view" for a while! I also hear that the ship is full!

Noticed from the reviews that it tends to be a bit of a party ship and, as it's school holidays, we should expect it. However, I'm hoping we can get a game of Bridge on the sea days and we're looking forward to the sun.

Our experience with P&O & RCI in Europe is, if they say they have staggered starts, then one of two things will happen, depending on the port facilities. Either they will give you a ticket and let you wait (if they have places for you to sit!) or totally ignore it and let you board in order of arrival (huge queues) if they don't have seats(8-)).

I haven't boarded here before but I do know Hamilton quite well. My experience of port-side catering facilities in other ports makes me shudder.

The one thing you can be sure of is that any time between 10.30 and 12m.d. its going to be full-on down there! Either way, it seems to me that Brisbane is the perfect place to chill out and take it easy. Ascot is a mile or so from the airport; as are the docks at Hamilton (its like a triangle). We are arriving at BNE in the morning about 3 hours before the boarding process concludes and know Ascot quite well so will go there for a late breakfast/early lunch before heading down to the Ship.

I would expect that Buffet lunch will be served for those boarding, but it tends to be a bit of a bun-fight. If you're coming from anywhere other than the Brisbane CBD, regardless of what time you've been allocated, how about stopping off somewhere in Brisbane for a coffee and a quiet relax and jumping into a cab around midday (12.15pm from Ascot) which should mean a casual saunter on-board once the crowd has been processed.

I'll start a couple of threads about on-board activities to see what interest there is!

There shouldn't really be a problem with a ship this size. The bigger RCI ships, which have two or three times the number of pax, manage the getting on and off quite well so I suspect it has a lot to do with the port facilities.

We're flying in that morning so will take a leisurely trip in with a stop off in Ascot for morning tea before hitting the jetty! The idea of stopping off somewhere for a coffee and arriving about half an hour before the last boarding call seems to be the best option.

Just keep an eye out for two gerries running down the wharf as the ship pulls away from the quay (8-))