Sparky74

Unfortunately May is a blackout period when we’re not allowed to take vacation.

At this stage we’re looking at 14 night cruises out of Vancouver with Princess. This cruise typically has 2 calls at Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway; once on the way North to Anchorage and again on the way back South to Vancouver. With the Australian Dollar valued so low, every penny counts so I’m looking at the more affordable sail dates: June 7th, June 14th, June 21st, July 5th, July 19th, August 2nd, August 16th, or September 6th. Are any of these dates MORE LIKELY to have better weather than others and thus more chance of the helicopter flying? Are any of these dates likely to be busier than others or all about the same? With everything else being equal, which date would you choose?

Yes, I thought two taxis would be much cheaper.

Is that per person?

I reckon that the interior designer of the Splendor is an absolute genius. How on earth they convinced someone to pay money for their services is beyond me!

We used to be loyal to Royal but that ship sailed years ago. We sailed on Quantum OTS earlier this year and while we enjoyed our 4 complimentary drinks each day and the MDR was good, we felt the buffet had gone down hill. What really annoyed me was that they reduced servicing staterooms to once a day which is not the product we’d bought. When we booked and paid for the cruise, rooms were serviced twice a day. Then they changed it just before our cruise. Do I NEED my room done twice a day? No. In fact previously if we’d found out our room steward was planning on going ashore we’d tell them to skip our room that day. But it really annoyed me that they’d done a "bait and switch" on me. Also less stewards servicing more rooms but no reduction in the prepaid gratuities. 🤷‍♂️ Anyway, in spite of the ridiculous $10 charge for eggs Benedict and no soft serve, we’re tending to sail P&O rather than RCI at the moment for the following reasons in no particular order. Some of them are minor points but they all add up. 1. P&O works out cheaper for us, even factoring in the extras and the complimentary drinks. We’re teetotallers and DW enjoys the occasional soft drink while I mostly stick to water but 2. P&O offers year round sailings out of Brisbane which suits us at the moment. 3. We also enjoy sailing with Princess and P&O cruises edge us closer to Elite status. We’re already Diamond on RCI; DiamondPlus seems a long way off and I'm not sure I'll live long enough to achieve Pinnacle. 4. No laundromats on RCI. 5. RCI charges in US dollars on board. 6. No need to bring power adapters on P&O 7. Service on RCI seems to have deteriorated over recent years whereas it seems to me to have improved on P&O JMHO YMMV

I agree that Winter is the best time to visit the tropics. However the American mindset is that vacations happen in the Summer. Also, they send ships here in the USA off-season. Why would a cruiseline pull a vessel off a profitable market and bring it down under? The reality is that we just don’t have the population to compete year round with the North American market. JMHO

I wonder if a smaller ship like Brilliance OTS has more flexibility and is able to dock at places the behemoths cannot. I guess there’s only so many places a ship can sail to from Brisbane (and return) in a reasonable timeframe. I would think that there’s a limited market for longer cruises.

I think I’d prefer Brillance OTS in Brisbane but I'll take Voyager. 😁

2025/26 Australian Princess itineraries should be available the week after next, apparently.

We’ve stayed there and would also recommend it.

We sailed Alaska with HAL last year. We rugged up and ventured out to the bow on the scenic cruising days and had the added bonus of commentary and guidance from the onboard naturalist. There was plenty of opportunity to get to the rail and take great photos. Prior to going, the advice from every direction seemed to be that you MUST have a balcony for an Alaskan cruise. We enjoyed Alaska so much that we are hoping to return in 2025 and believe me, it’s a long way for us to come from Australia! But this time round we'll be booking an oceanview (or even interior 😱) cabin and putting the savings towards shore excursions. We found plenty of opportunity to view the scenery and wildlife from the public decks. JMHO VMMV

Now that's interesting! DW and I were onboard the Carnival Splendor for her trans-Pacific cruise, 23 nights from Seattle to Sydney last year. By and large it was the Aussies onboard who were unimpressed. More than one Australian was heard to mutter that if this cruise was indicative of the "product" that Carnival was bringing to Australia (post-pandemic) then they would be spending their cruising dollars with other lines. DW & I haven’t been back onboard a Carnival ship since but that’s not solely based on our experience of that cruise.

If it’s a trans-Pacific cruise consider if you want the long flight and jet lag at the start of your vacation or at the end of your journey. For me, I prefer to get the long flight out of the way at the start and come back to work refreshed. JMHO I'd also add that Australia is a large and diverse country. And nearly 3 million square miles we're the sixth largest country in area after Russia, Canada, China, the USA, and Brazil. There’s lots to see from the Top End, the Great Barrier Reef, the Snowy Mountains, Tasmania, the Red Centre, and, and, and… And then New Zealand is just across the ditch with its own unique landscapes, culture, and version of the English language. 😁 This is to say, plan to spend as much time here as you can. It’s quite an effort to fly half way around the world so make the most of it!

DW & I cruised Alaska with HAL last year. We really enjoyed the trip and both agreed that we’d like to return. As we’re Australians, it’s a bit of a trek to get there but we’re looking at the possibility of 2025. Our main (only) disappointment in Alaska last year was that our shore excursion in Juneau, a helicopter flight and dog sledding on Mendenhall Glacier was cancelled due to the weather. See below for a link to the relevant part of my trip review. Now, I know that the weather is difficult to predict, especially in Alaska, but I’m wondering if anyone can shed some light on the LIKELY-HOOD of this tour being cancelled. How often does it go and how often is it cancelled? What months is it more likely to run? And are we better to book through the ship or direct with someone shoreside? If shoreside, book ahead or on the day? At this stage we’re thinking of booking B2B cruises to give us two visits to Juneau and thus two chances at this bucket-list experience. We will have the luxury of 8 weeks vacation 😱😁 in 2025 but, alas, limited funds. I did wonder about building some time into our itinerary to return to Juneau later on, if necessary, either by plane or the Alaskan Marine Highway ferry, if we miss out again. Your thoughts would be appreciated.

DW & I loved our Alaskan cruise last year. We’re Aussies too. I had booked a helicopter flight and dog sledding on Mendenhall Glacier and it was cancelled on the day due to the weather. This was a bitter disappointment but we made the most of it and managed to pick up a whale watching trip on the dock. Here's a link to my review from that day.

We don’t spend much onboard so that doesn’t affect us greatly. But you’re right. You’d think after all of these years they could charge in Australian Dollars while cruising from Australian home ports like many of the other US cruiselines do.

Our first ever cruise was with RCI and we remained loyal to Royal for some years. I still have a bit of a soft spot for them and as Diamond C&A members the 4 complimentary drinks each day are a bit of a sweetener. So it’s a little disappointing that they haven’t been mentioned in this thread lately. 💰 It might be worth checking out Quantum OTS sailings from Brisbane to the South Pacific Islands. 15/2/2024 - 7 nights - inside cabin - $799 1/3/2024 - 7 nights - inside cabin - $799 29/1/2024 - 9 nights - inside cabin - $999

We used Uber when we disembarked from our trans-Pacific cruise in Sydney last year. From memory, the fare to the airport was only a little more than it would have been for the two of us as those airport trains are pricey. Uber drivers were lined up waiting at the cruise terminal on that day. We don’t use them often but we’ve found Uber cheaper than a taxi. But this could have changed recently. 🤷‍♂️

It’s a reminder that a cruise is great value for money.

3 weeks out and we’re still waiting for our cabin allocation. 🤷‍♂️

Isn't Black Friday still a fortnight away? I wonder if we'll see any cruise deals here in Australia (and New Zealand).

Date Nights Ship From To Interior Daily 27/11/23 13 Majestic Princess Sydney New Zealand $1,044 $80 28/1/24 13 Pacific Explorer Melbourne New Zealand $1,139 $88 29/1/24 13 Grand Princess Melbourne South Pacific Islands $1,234 $95 30/1/24 14 Pacific Adventure Sydney Singapore (one way) $1,139 $81 7/2/24 11 Pacific Explorer Fremantle Singapore (one way) $1,079 $98 6/5/24 10 Carnival Splendor Sydney North Qld $921 $92 1/6/24 3 Pacific Explorer Cairns Brisbane (one way) $247 $82 4/6/24 2 Pacific Explorer Brisbane Sydney (one way) $188 $94 17/6/24 10 Pacific Adventure Sydney North Qld $989 $99 4/7/24 4 Pacific Explorer Sydney Auckland (one way) $314 $79 5/7/24 9 Pacific Adventure Sydney South Pacific Islands $809 $90 14/7/24 9 Pacific Adventure Sydney North Qld $854 $95 30/7/24 10 Pacific Adventure Sydney South Pacific Islands $944 $94 14/8/24 10 Pacific Encounter Brisbane PNG $944 $94 16/10/24 10 Pacific Encounter Brisbane PNG $944 $94 22/11/24 8 Pacific Encounter Brisbane South Pacific Islands $764 $96 29/11/24 2 Pacific Explorer Melbourne Adelaide (one way) $179 $90 2/7/25 10 Pacific Adventure Sydney South Pacific Islands $989 $99 29/3/25 9 Pacific Adventure Sydney South Pacific Islands $854 $95 5/4/25 6 Pacific Explorer Adelaide Auckland (one way) $584 $97

We’ve stayed at Mascot twice. Close to the airport. Walking distance to the train, Woolworths, and cafes. We would stay there again.

Mandela Effect! 🤷‍♂️