jarand

Thank you. This is helpful!

We are considering an itinerary with a Holland cruise, followed immediately by a Princess cruise out of Auckland. There is a one day overlap:

 

Nov 6: Holland docks in Tauranga; Princess sets sail from Auckland

Nov 7: Holland ends in Auckland; Princess docks in Tauranga

 

Option 1 is to disembark a day early from the HAL cruise in Tauranga, rent a car and spend a night in Rotorua, then pick up the Princess cruise a day later in Tauranga. This is really appealing because we'd love to experience a little more of the culture and geology.

Questions:

~Is there a regulation that would allow or disallow boarding the cruise in Tauranga? Who would I contact to be absolutely certain?

~Any suggestions on a great overnight place in Rotorua? We like B&B type places more than big resorts.

 

 

Option 2 is disembark a day early from HAL in Tauranga, tour/travel to Auckland and board Princess (late evening departure). We'll be back in Tauranga again the next day on Princess. Ideally we'd see some of the sites north of Tauranga on the trip, then focus on Rotorua the following day when Princess docks there.

Questions:

~Is it feasible to travel and sight-see from Tauranga to Auckland in a day? What would be the best means of transportation and route?

~Is there a tour company or driver who might provide the Tauranga-Auckland tour?

 

 

Other suggestions?

Thank you very much for your insight!

We are just returning from Princess Cays. The water wasn't too cold at all. We did the ships snorkeling excursion for experienced snorkelers and reall enjoyed it. The boat takes you out to a nice shallow reef with lots of fish. $54 for less than an hour in the water is a bit steep, but we enjoyed it much more than trying to snorkel from the shore.

We are boarding the Ruby in a couple days. Can anyone tell me how we figure out which pier she's at? Thanks!

A few questions about Princess Cays:

 

Has anyone done the Princess boat snorkeling excursion? Any feedback?

 

Is the snorkeling from the beach very interesting?

 

How's the water temp in January?

 

We have our own mask and snorkel, but not fins. The only info I can find on the Princess site lists snorkel equipment rental at $25. Is it possible to rent only fins and how much?

 

Thanks!

LOL, this was an entertaining thread. I had no idea what you were talking about! I have a lot to learn about the Aussie/NZ culture. :)

Thank you for sharing! I'm anxious to read more.

Thanks for posting! I'll look forward to hearing all about it!

Great! Thank you.

I've always thought only one FCC could be used per cabin. However, when we booked our January cruise directly with Princess, the agent said we could each use one. We didn't because we were doing B2B, so we ended up putting them on two different sailings.

 

But that raises the question: If both passengers in the cabin have an FCC, can both be used for the deposit and associated OBCs?

Sounds like a fantastic trip! Thanks for posting!

This may turn out to be a real boom for Princess. They've sold out these January sailings, and now thousands of people are committing themselves to a more expensive Princess cruise in 2014. My guess is that Princess will hold their 2014 prices pretty firm, so in the end we may pay a higher fare than for a similar itinerary from other lines. This was a brilliant marketing scheme!

DH and I will be headed to Cayman Islands, Cozumel, and Princess Cays for several B2B cruises in a couple of weeks. I am so excited to try snorkeling for the first time, and my dreams are that it will lead to low-key scuba diving in the future. I definitely want to be sure it goes well for DH, who is less comfortable in the water than me.

 

We live in Colorado. NO chance of getting to a scuba store in time to try and buy prescription masks or dry snorkels. So my questions are:

 

1. Will we be able to rent optical masks in Cozumel and at Grand Cayman (Edens' Grove?) that would at least allow us to see "good enough"? Anyplace in particular? What do we watch for?

 

2. My understanding is that most rental places don't provide dry snorkels. Is there an inexpensive dry snorkel I could buy online that we could use with a rental mask and fins?

 

Thanks!

Drog, we are considering the jet ski tour. My question is the physical difficulty of it. Do you have to pull yourself up onto the jetski, and how difficult is that? We are in our late 50's, not horribly out of shape, but not the epitome of fitness either. Thanks!

How do you pre-order a coffee card? I've looked on the cruise personalizer but can't find it. Thanks.

We are taking four cruises on Ruby in January, B2B2B2B. If two bottles of wine are allowed on each cruise, will we be able to bring all eight on at the beginning? Or can we only bring two (without paying the fee) and have to get off on each turn around day? Thanks.

We will arrive at FLL in the morning then take a taxi to the port. Is there a store near the port, or on the way, to stop and buy wine? Thanks.

AlanFromFL, would you have any recommendations on where to go and which company to use for air boat rides? We will have a couple of turn around days in Ft Lauderdale and that really does sound like fun!

 

JeepLady, which Everglades tour did you do?

 

Thanks!

Thank you. We have a couple of turn-around days in Ft Lauderdale, and I kindof looked at this as something to do one day.

 

Do you happen to know how far it is from the port? Do we just take a taxi?

 

Thanks!

Thank you so much for your replies. It is so helpful to hear from people who know! And it sounds like we ought to start planning a land trip. :)

We are considering this cruise, tagging it onto a Sydney/New Zealand cruise in November. My question is whether this would be a good sampling itinerary of the Gold Coast/GBR, or whether it would be smarter to spend a week in Cairns with a car. We're not divers or serious snorkelers, but we'd love to experience the GBR and Australia. Advice appreciated!

 

Tue Oct 28 Sydney, Australia, Depart 6:30pm

Wed Oct 29 Newcastle, Australia 7:00am-4:00pm

Thu Oct 30 At Sea

Fri Oct 31 At Sea

Sat Nov 1 Cairns, Australia, Arrive 10:00am; overnight

Sun Nov 2 Cairns, Australia, Depart 5:00pm

Mon Nov 3 Willis Island, Australia (Cruising) 11:00am-1:00pm

Tue Nov 4 Airlie Beach, Australia 8:00am-6:00pm

Wed Nov 5 At Sea

Thu Nov 6 Brisbane, Australia 8:00am-5:00pm

Fri Nov 7 At Sea

Sat Nov 8 Sydney, Australia Arrive 6:30am

We are taking advantage of the "free cruise" and will have accumulated a chunk of change in FCC fares that must be used on a 7+ day cruise in 2014.

My question is this: If we book using these FCCs for November or December, and buy the Princess Vacation Protection, will the provisions of the Vaca Protection allow the FCC's roll over to a future cruise if something happens and we can't go?

Carnival Breeze, Deluxe Ocean View Cabins have two bathrooms. One has toilet, shower, sink; the other has only a tub and sink (but no toilet).

We have done interior cabins on the Lido before, and we LOVE being on Lido. It's so nice to walk just a few steps to pick up a cup of coffee or snack anytime you want.

 

But if you are really bothered by noise, the cabins you're talking about aren't the place to be. You will have a lot of people in the hall and you won't have peace and quiet on your balcony. Try to get a little further forward so people aren't walking by your cabin to get to the elevator/stairs.

Loosen up the rules on bringing your own wine.

Rotate entertainers. We love doing B2B but don't like repeating the same entertainment. And yes--bring back 45 min shows!