BRANDEE

On 3/20/2024 at 10:25 AM, WonderMan3 said:

Views from Premium Deluxe Balcony 15320. Photos from Colleen D.
 

Hi WonderMan3,

Did you find the balcony to be very windy during the day when sailing?

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

Thanks Mic, it will be interesting to see how many pens fit. if it works we will get another one.

Hi Lyle.

So sorry to hear about Lynn's mom..hugs and thoughts to both of you.  May memories of mom put a smile on your heart at this time.

I was answering your question about insulin...

.I used Frio Cooling  Wallets for my insulin for my trip to Australia four years ago.. It was a 32 hour trip from my house to Sydney hotel.  The large wallet holds 4/6 pens and the xl holds 8 pens. Very easy to use.  Also you can ask the stewardess to put in refrig but not necessary .  They are "reactivated" by putting in cold water in sink, for 10 minutes, travelling from place to place is no problem. For extra protection in very hot weather you can put them in an insulated lunch bag in the inner pouch. You can get them for best price on Amazon.  I purchased one in every size for length of trips.  Hope  this helps.  

Caio..Chris

8 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

My achilles tendon hasn't healed properly, only 20% attached, so I now need a reconstruction. This means surgery and then 8-10 weeks of rest and rehab with a boot and crutches. The surgeon couldn’t do it until late February, so we have put it off until late march, so we only have to cancel one trip.

It is the Royal Princess cruise to Japan and our South Korea visit after it. Unfortunately, we will  miss cruising with quite a few friends on that cruise but all things considered it is better than missing 2 or more trips prior.

I am still hobbling around but without the boot, the foot and leg  is a bit sore and swells up with a bit of use but it is manageable. No running, or stairs and ladders, they will be out for some time yet.

Sorry to hear about your upcoming surgery.  Be well and good luck, in the mean time enjoy your upcoming cruises.

42 minutes ago, possum52 said:

Since my retirement, Rob and I have managed to still stay relatively sane when we are both home. We still do our own things and sometimes do things together but the next possibly few months are going to test me. Rob had two toes removed two weeks ago due to a severe infection in his right foot which started from a soft corn between the two amputated toes - the two littlest on the right foot. He has a negative pressure machine attached to his foot where the toes were to promote healing and take away any nasties still there. The nurse who came on Friday, when asked how long he will have it attached said anywhere up to three months. Fortunately it is mobile and he can move around with it with the help of a walking frame. But he has to be helped in the shower, hopefully we have now have than down pat after a few adjustments to the routine. He is still learning to walk with the frame and really can't help me with anything. So I am doing all the things Rob would usually do (under strict supervision 🤣) plus everything I normally do plus being the maid. Of course, he has had a few visitors since coming home from hospital last Thursday which means making tea and coffee for them. Oh well, I guess I'll survive but whether Rob does .......

Sending good thoughts and prayers from around the world to you and your husband Rob.  Hope his healing is speedy.  Take care of you, too. Best Wishes Brandee (aka Chris)

53 minutes ago, arxcards said:

There were lots of mistakes and poor judgement, and now proven negligence throughout this whole debacle. This case is not Covid v Princess, nor is it Australia v Princess, nor is it Covid v Cruising, nor is it NSW Health v Princess. I think it is arrogant for someone on the other side of the world to be alleging corruption within a court system they don't understand.

 

This case is simply KARPIK V CARNIVAL PLC. The Karpik's had a commercial arrangement with Princess via the passage contract that was in place for their voyage. The court judgment is simply that Carnival PLC was negligent to those obligations and that Mrs. Karpik was entitled to be compensated for out-of-pocket medical expenses. This was based on the judge's interpretation of the law. 

 

Any passengers similarly affected on Voyager/Ovation of the Seas and Celebrity Solstice can argue their case in court, but apart from precedence, that will be totally irrelevant to Karpik V Carnival PLC.

 

Yes, the case document is way too big to absorb. The case summary is much  to comprehend

Karpik v Carnival plc (The Ruby Princess) (Initial Trial) [2023] FCA 1280 (fedcourt.gov.au).

 

Sorry you feel I am arrogant but I lived through it and also watched every minute of the Special Commission proceedings to understand who should have been responsible for protecting passengers as well as the citizens of Australia..  The Special Commission found NSWH to be negligent but did nothing. But Carnival was found to be negligent and has to pay.

6 hours ago, Vader1111 said:

"Head office wanted the ship to embark, and only government intervention would have stopped it."  This, in a nutshell, is exactly why Princess were found guilty.  They chose to board the passengers, knowing that there was a risk, and failing to do everything they could reasonably do to minimise the risks.

 

Temperature checks were in place around the world, at least a month before Ruby departed.  They had no excuses for not performing them, even if they weren't overly accurate - at least it provided a first level of checking, which could be confirmed by sidelining anyone found to be hot (for further checking by medical staff).

Why didn't the government stop the sailing? They were on board only a few hours prior checking passengers disembarking from the prior cruise. NSWHealth is to blame..their job is to protect and they did nothing.  All they had to do is say "no go".  They had the right and the legal responsibility..didn't you hear what the special commission findings said? 

In the end the Australian judges blamed Carnival/Princess and did nothing to their own government agency who did nothing.  Scapegoating and corruption is what I see.

And if temperature checks were placed around the world, why didn't I get a scan when entering your country at Sydney airport? (2/28)  Want to blame Carnival for that too .?  How about sitting at Quantas on March 19th for 8 hours waiting to go home and no one temperature checked us their either. What about Celebrity and RCCL? They were sailing too.

18 hours ago, arxcards said:

Correct. As they say, the law is an ass, but it is all we have. If Princess/CA had done nothing wrong in the eyes of the relevant laws, it wouldn't have even made it into court. If the finding was so wrong I would expect there are grounds for appeal.

 

I do find it amusing that part was a consumer claim against their trademark promise "Our promise is to provide guests transformative moments designed to inspire them to discover the world and themselves, ultimately allowing us to declare that a cruise isn't good enough unless you 'come back new.'" . 

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/princess-cruises-announces-the-come-back-new-promise-300209988.html 

They didn't think they "Came Back New" It seems that trademark has now disappeared from their site. Other major Australian companies have removed the word "promise" from their consumer guarantees.

I disagree that Carnival was guilty.  The Australian judges used their interpretation of the law to find a scapegoat to take the pressure and limelight off the inept NSWHealth Agency. One government branch covering up another's guilt. 

Regarding an appeal.  I'm sure Carnival wants to get out of Australian before the judges come up with another bogus ruling.

On 10/26/2023 at 11:39 PM, Vader1111 said:

Princess' problem was that they weren't doing everything they possibly could, to keep the passengers safe.  For example, they weren't doing temperature checks at embarkation - at a time when high temperature was known to be a COVID symptom.

 

That's not to detract from the actions of the passengers themselves, and you are quite correct in your statements about them... but to say that Princess was doing everything possible is just flat wrong.

The NSWHealth Department did not do their job.  Where were they to check passengers going on the cruise. (I  was notified by e mail that I would be checked by health officials at the airport and prior boarding.) and where were they at disembarkation?    (Princess notified guests that they expected NSWH to come on board in am so do not get early flights home)  Nowhere to be seen.  Inept and derelict of their duties and their own newly established covid policies.   Eight hours at the Sydney airport to go home and no one checked passengers.  So why is Carnival only held responsible?.  What about Celebrity and RCCL..their ships also had covid cases after returning.   Why only Carnival...guess the Australian judges just needed someone  to blame so no one would remember the "mock" special commission that found the NSWH guilty of dereliction of duties but only slapped them on the wrist..no consequences for their actions. I want to sue them!! And why did the Australian judges refuse American passengers to join the lawsuit if they wanted? 

.

Quite honestly this case should have been thrown out of court. Never allowed. Carnival is a business that sold a product and people bought it.  BTW Carnival/Princess refunded every penny for cruise, even though 11 out of 13 days were completed.

No one held a gun to the head of any adult who walked up the gangplank and got on the cruise ship. Adults made a decision to go and they should accept their responsibility.  Just like NSWHealth should be held responsible for abandoning their post at a time(s) when they should have been protecting the people.   Australians as well as foreign passengers.

17 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

Well bad news, I have actually ruptured my Achilles and am now in a cast for the foreseeable future.

My upcoming trip will need to be cancelled,  

Get well soon, sorry to hear about your injury!

Sorry to hear this news.  Condolences to his family and friends.  RIP Mr GUT

3 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

We are back in our cabin, our tagged luggage in the hall. We opened the bottle of wine that HAL gave us and raised a glass to Canada, the true North strong and free.

The comedian tonight was Mike Robinson a good Canadian guy from Nova Scotia. It was a different show and equally as enjoyable. For us easily the best shows we saw on the world stage. We disembark tomorrow and we are overnight in Montreal. I will have observations about the disembarkation process as well as some comments about our post cruise hotel and the things we do during our short overnight stay in Montreal. 

Sounds like you enjoyed your cruise. Since you have only a short time in Montreal try to do the hop on/off to see the city.  If you have to choose one or two things to go inside, I suggest the Notre Dame Basilica and at night go to  L'Oratoire St Joseph ..a beautiful view of the city.  What hotel are you staying at?

14 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

That's not really what we want but thanks anyway. 

Birdland Jazz Club ( 315W 44th St) is a favorite of a good friend of mine, she enjoys Arturo O'Farrill who plays there often,  Also the Rose Center at Lincoln Center. The 2024 schedule is not out yet to tell you who is playing when in town next year.

On 8/13/2023 at 11:19 PM, Blackduck59 said:

Found it.

It was chicken pie for lunch today, very tasty. We will be flying out to Boston on the 21st, where we will of course have to try the "Boston Cream Pie" which bears no resemblance to "pie" at all, other than being round but we all know that some pie are squared.

Make sure you visit Little Italy in the North End of Boston for a pizza pie and other great Italian food. Another must is The Union Oyster House for clam chowder. But do not try the clam pizza pie..... Enjoy!

2 minutes ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Do Elite benefits kick in on your 16th cruise, similar to NCL and RCI or on your 15th cruise, similar to Carnival?  Currently have 4 under our belts and an additional 9 booked over the next 2 years.

Elite starts on 16th cruise or 151 days.  !

14 minutes ago, ldtr said:

The Elite benefit is the minibar setup.  Which still exists.  You can still swap it for water, other alcohol, soft drinks, etc.  However, it is rather difficult to swap it for something that no longer exists

 

So the Elite benefit is unchanged.  The entire coffee card program no longer exists.

As of mid March, Elites ability to exchange the mini bar from liquor to coffee package changed. I see that as benefit taken away.  Our next cruise we went to plus plan so it will not matter to us..just unused liquor left behind.  Also, Elites no longer receive cruise reward OBC after 20 cruises.  These are all perks/gifts, that are appreciated but can be taken away whenever Princess pleases. Just like one person can no longer get Military OBC and Stock OBC for the same cruise.

46 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

This claim has been debunked a hundred times.  Princess cancelled the old coffee card program years ago.  Then they cancelled the electronic coffee package.  There was/is no program left to exchange to.  So it is not a loss of Elite benefit, but a loss of a package and different packsges in place of.  We still have our minibar and we can still exchange. 

On our transatlantic in mid March (Sky) we were not allowed to exchange for coffee cards.  We were allowed to exchange for bottle of wine, or all soda or all water.  You could also ask to change reg soda for diet and gin for vodka, etc.  But no more coffee cards.  We were allowed to exchange for coffee cards on earlier March 14 day cruise(Emerald) It was not a card but put on our Medallion.

2 hours ago, ldtr said:

That is  strange we are Elite and the only benefits we have lost is the bag of toiletries.  Out platinum Internet benefit changed from some free minutes to 50% discount on unlimited.  A couple of things have become obsolete with the changes in embarkation and disembarkation over the years.  10% excursion credit was added. On my last 22 day cruise they saved us over $700 during the cruise.

 

 we do not buy packages, and some of the lose value for those that do.

Elites get a bar set up in their room but it no longer can be exchanged for two coffee cards.

On 7/31/2023 at 6:17 PM, arizonaperson said:

No coffee cards. Here’s a current menu with prices.

Just to let those who need to watch their sugar.. Usually nothing sugar free available on Princess cruise ships regarding specialty coffee.  Most ships have 12+ coffee flavors plus chocolate syrup, but only twice in the past ten years has their been anything other than a plain sugar free sweetener. I now bring my own Jordan's Skinny Flavors (mocha, salted carmel and vanilla) if I want to have a specialty coffee. I have written to Princess and even had a personal conversation with the "Head of Food" on my last cruise in March...he claims he was shocked to see how little sugar free was available for diabetics.  

I would appreciate anyone currently on a ship or going on a cruise in the next month to see if anything has changed.  Sugar free flavorings for coffee...sugar free soda at the bar for mixers (club, tonic, ginger ale, seven up, cranberry juice) ... sugar free jelly at breakfast and sugar free jello.   BTW, I was lucky the last cruise a jar of sugar free jelly was found in the food locker and it was kept hidden every day (28 days) so I could go to one person to find it and give me a spoonful for breakfast..

To many it means nothing, but to an insulin dependent diabetic these little things make a difference in enjoying my time on board. And please do not respond..just take more insulin..that is insulting! 

Sending Hugs from around the world! 

Brandee aka Chris

On 7/3/2023 at 11:23 AM, crewsgirl said:

oh, Blackduck.....I am still looking at the options. Seems I read another thread that discussed Qantos airfare, and prices weren't as bad as I had imagined. What are your thoughts on Qantos? And you're right, we may be looking at 2025, to be honest. 

 

 

Please, continue the Jungle Juice information, I am enjoying the convo!  

Not sure where on the east coast you are located, but we flew Delta to Sydney in March of 2020.  There were quite a few options on times and connecting flights. We found the prices to be reasonable .  We also used the cruise company airline department to secure our flight and it gave us the ability to get a lower price up to balance due.  You might want to look into that too.  We did Princess and they offer EZAir. ( We chose the airline we wanted, times, and dates)  I'm not sure what other cruise lines offer.  I also flew Qantas and found them to be a very good airline.

29 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

On 6/21/2023 at 6:28 AM, crewsgirl said:

Thank you Aussieflyer, and I'm sure we would love Silversea, but the budget would probably not agree, lol. Most likely, we would fly to Hawaii for 2 days to get somewhat acclimated to the time change, then fly to Sydney for 2 days before a 10-12 day cruise. That is probably not as much time as we would like, but ~ 2 weeks will have to do. 

 

And, as you richly point out, Australia is massive, and we would never be able to see everything from just a cruise. I am going to have to console myself that we will be happy doing the cruise thing and getting just a small taste of the area.

 

In your opinion, is Hobart a must do? I see that HAL makes that stop, but I am interested in exploring Princess as well. We are not die hards on a certain cruise line, but would like to choose the itiernary that offers the best ports. Interested in your opinions of each cruise line that is popular in the area for the most reasonable price. 

 

We are happy to do excursions on our own, and if there are others that join together to form small groups, that is the best option for small group tours. We have been successful in other cities with our CC roll call and found better opportunities for small tours. But, if groups don't happen, and the ship offers tours, we have done that as well, but tbh, we prefer a group of 20 or less. 

 

And I agree with you, I need to get busy, 2024 will be here in a hurry! I just now have the hubby on board to consider this trip. 

 

Expand  

Regarding your plan to stop in Hawaii to get use to time change:

We flew from NYC to LAX had a 4 hr layover and than on to Sydney.  We were not as tired as you might think.  We checked into the hotel, had a shower, lunch and spent the rest of the day touring.  A stop in Hawaii for two days really isn't necessary and would give you more time in Sydney.  ( You will be confused what day since somewhere over the ocean we lost a full day.  the time difference between NY and SDY was 16 nrs.)  Sydney area had a lot to do.  The Blue Mountains is a must and it is a full day tour. All my info regarding touring came from so many of the great Aussies here on CC. We toured for 6 days then a two week cruise to NZ.  You will need to pack layers especially for the cruise.  South NZ was chilly.  And at night on the cruise the Aussies were dressed , some even in formal attire.  BTW we were in our late 60's and early 70's at time of cruise

On 6/21/2023 at 6:28 AM, crewsgirl said:

Thank you Aussieflyer, and I'm sure we would love Silversea, but the budget would probably not agree, lol. Most likely, we would fly to Hawaii for 2 days to get somewhat acclimated to the time change, then fly to Sydney for 2 days before a 10-12 day cruise. That is probably not as much time as we would like, but ~ 2 weeks will have to do. 

 

And, as you richly point out, Australia is massive, and we would never be able to see everything from just a cruise. I am going to have to console myself that we will be happy doing the cruise thing and getting just a small taste of the area.

 

In your opinion, is Hobart a must do? I see that HAL makes that stop, but I am interested in exploring Princess as well. We are not die hards on a certain cruise line, but would like to choose the itiernary that offers the best ports. Interested in your opinions of each cruise line that is popular in the area for the most reasonable price. 

 

We are happy to do excursions on our own, and if there are others that join together to form small groups, that is the best option for small group tours. We have been successful in other cities with our CC roll call and found better opportunities for small tours. But, if groups don't happen, and the ship offers tours, we have done that as well, but tbh, we prefer a group of 20 or less. 

 

And I agree with you, I need to get busy, 2024 will be here in a hurry! I just now have the hubby on board to consider this trip. 

 

20 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

@BRANDEE, we have been watching the news and that smoke is alarming. We have had smoke here from wildfires in California and Washington State in past years as well as other wildfires in BC when the wind comes from the North East. I hope they can get the fires under control soon. I know you will take whatever precautions you need to be safe. If that means getting a proper respirator with charcoal filters like painters use then do that. Be well, stay safe.

Our Canadian friends in Ottawa have been experiencing the haze smoke skies recently, but never expected it to reach New York City with such thick yellow smoky air. Used our value respirator masks today just to go out to water the plants, and get the mail.  Air quality tonight was 484 out of 500.  Not looking good for tomorrow, but rain on Friday will help.  Just got home three days ago from another road trip..we went to Grand Canyon as well as Antelope Canyon (narrow slot canyon on Navajo Nation). Some elevations in Arizona were harder to breath for my husband, but nothing like what we have at home now.  Amazing how far reaching smoke can be!!

19 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Wow News - More than 400 bushfires in Canada.

When I visited your country back in February/March 2020, I was told to bring masks with valves incase the air quality in Sydney was still suffering from the Blue Mountains fires.  Never used them, but did give 18 of the 20 to the nurse in our family to help her during the beginning stages of the covid fight in New York City hospitals.  Well today, I got the remaining two out of the closet and had to use them to leave the house.  The yellow haze covering New York City and suburbs is unbelievable and scary. The powerful smell of wood burning stung the eyes.  All outdoor activities were canceled and an emergency air alert in action.  I live over 550 miles south of Quebec..Unbelievable!  It is reaching as far south as Tennessee.

22 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Yes, I believe it will be 1:1, it certainly was in 2017 when we did a Med cruise. 

 

Great to hear from you, Chris. Have you fully recovered from the Long Covid effects?

 

Princess fares were very low for the first six months of the restart here, which was from June last year. I guess they wanted to entice people back to cruising. We got a bit carried away and ended up doing six cruises last year. Oops! I think the fares are on the increase now but not too outrageously so far. However Princess is doing some very silly things (in my opinion) that is devaluing the experience. Onboard costs for things like wines have gone up but the by-the-glass wines are cheap, bottom of the range wines which means that on some of them the Princess mark-up is more than 1000% of the retail price. I guess Princess thinks their guests are stupid! 

 

I did catch Covid on one of the cruises we did last year but it was very mild. Princess put me on anti-virals so I recovered very quickly. In our region Princess covers all medical costs, plus gives refunds as FCC for each day in isolation. We had wonderful care and service onboard, and our Kindles were well-stocked so we were able to just relax, and recover in my case - Rolf never caught it despite being isolated in the same cabin.

 

Where are you planning on cruising next year? We're doing a couple of Japan cruises this November - one with Princess and the second with Regent Seven Seas which ends in Bangkok. Next year we're doing the Princess Australian world cruise. I've always dreamed of doing a world cruise so we decided we'd better do it before we get too old to enjoy it properly.

 

Take care, have fun, and keep on cruising. 

Thanks Julie for asking about my long term fatigue.. The sudden fatigue is still with me but the incidents are less often.  We just returned from a five week vacation of two cruises and land trip and had only two severe incidents of fatigue.  One time I got up and went to  breakfast ..got fatigued eating oatmeal  (my face almost went into the bowl of porridge)..just about got back to our cabin (I was actually crying at this point thinking I just had to lay down in the hall) and went back to sleep for two /three hours.  Twice a month is fine with me, but just concerned it will happen on the long drive to my son's house when alone. It happens so quickly I'm worried about having time to pull over and find a safe spot to sleep for a few hours.  Crazy!!

We are booked for a 20 day Caribbean cruise in March.  Paying almost 40% more for a lesser category cabin than this year. I hate the expression" it is what it is" but we both know prices will not go down.  Once the cruise companies see people will pay anything for a cruise.. they will jump for joy and charge more.

We cruised Princess and the first one (Caribbean on the Emerald) saw a tremendous decline in the quality of food and spirits. Our waiters acknowledged that the choices of meat and fish were not quality cuts.  On the menu was klingklip twice the first week. It is in the family of eel.  We did not get quality food until the last 4 days.  The wine by the glass was terrible. I do not judge all wine by the price of a bottle but the wine they served for $14 a glass was from a $4.99 bottle. Top of the line spirits were not available even to pay for.  Our second cruise on the Sky which was a transatlantic had better food choices, quality fish and slightly better wine by the glass. Yes the cuts are noticeable by seasoned cruisers.

We only do cruising in March. Something we started 24 years ago with an additional cruise here and there with our big group of friends. I love cruising and would love to do a world cruise but that is not on my husband's bucket list.  So far, 30 days is the limit on a ship for him.  We also do the month of October in Aruba..total relaxing (30 day limit there, too).  A few years ago we started doing road trips (May and September) around the US.  Last September we did Canada (2nd time)  Leaving for another long road trip to the west with friends mid May.  Love the road trips but nothing like a cruise where you unpack once. But I will admit there are so many beautiful places to see in my own country. Aiming for all 50 states. At the halfway mark!

Glad you had an easy time with covid. Princess had passengers confined in their own cabins, but flu was more a concern. This time we saw a total lack of encouraging passengers to wash hands before using buffet. More was done pre covid.

Enjoy your upcoming cruises.  Stay healthy!  Keep in touch!