BRANDEE

Will your OBC be 1:1 ratio. That will be great! Hi Julie, Hope all is well with you and family' Glad to see my Aussie friends catching up with cruising. Just finished our first Transatlantic and loved it. So smooth..we were very lucky. I'm not sure how the cruise prices in Australia are for next year, but prices have gone sky high here in US. Trying to make up all Covid lost revenue now! We are booked for next year but will seriously consider going or not. Got to convince my husband these are the "new" prices and they are here to stay. Take care and be well and Happy Sailing!! Chris aka Brandee

All OBC on your Australian cruise will be in AUD. So if you have $250 US military credit it becomes $250 AUD. The same goes for all OBC a 1:1 ratio. All casino machines and tables are in AUD. If you take $100AUD from your room credit it goes into the machine as $100AUD and cashed out as AUD(if you are lucky to win) and when you get a check from Princess for unused returnable credit $100AUD is sent to you for about $67 US (the actual rate for the day the check is issued). I am not sure if you can put USD into the machines on board. But your payout will be AUD. Regarding gratuities. Your $15US per day rate will be billed to your account as $22.52AUD per day not $15AUD. (again the rate at the time your bill is calculated) Not 1:1 on gratuities Regarding purchasing your own OBC. The rate is what your charge card company/bank issues which should be determined by the going rate the day you purchase. Regarding ship tours .Prices will be in AUD. They will be deducted from your OBC 1:1 If you need to use your charge card for the tours they are converted by the banks rates of conversion. I asked my travel agent and also called Princess, no one was completely sure.....I got my answers when on board!!

Ah! A very wise man. Best of Luck getting your abode back to Home Sweet Home again!

Glad all is well . Stuff can be replaced. You're lucky to be alive, not from the lighting strike but your quote above..lol Again..thank goodness all three of you are safe!

Happy Australia Day to all my Aussie cruise critic friends. Health, Happiness and Prosperity to you and your beautiful country! Brandee

Not happy that cruisers no longer need to be vaccinated to cruise (except Australia) Ridiculous judgement call as far as I am concerned. Testing travelers from any country is a no brainer. Unfortunately common sense is not being used. And yes, we do have to learn to live with covid and it's variants, by why take away any helpful protocols. Maybe we should stop vaccinating for all childhood disease, as well as flu and pneumonia to accommodate all the naysayers..or as I like to call them a holes. Good luck Lyle on your upcoming booster..we are due for our next the end of this week. Next cruise in two months! Happy New Year's to all my Aussie and NZ cc friends. Health and Happiness to All!

We were made to feel uncomfortable for not tipping. We were told a few times at some restaurants that tips should be left as cash, not put on the charge card. One taxi driver told us it wasn't true that they do not accept tips. He would appreciate it in cash. This happened more in Sydney since we spent a week there. Of course, on our cruise part of the vacation, we were charged tips daily automatically.. All of our OBC was converted into AUD dollars one for one, but tips were charged as US dollars...that was Princess' policy..not Australia or NZ.

When we visited in Feb/Mar 2020, we planned not to tip because we read it right here on cc. Not needed, Not expected. Once they know you are an American..a tip is expected. That happened in restaurants, hotels, taxis and tours in Sydney and NZ. As long as you can deal with the no tip policy don't. In the end, do what makes you comfortable. We did a Blue Mountain all day tour and the guide, who also was the driver, was exceptional. We tipped him as a thank you, not as an income supplement.

Best of Luck tomorrow . Sending Hugs & Prayers from around the world!! Be Well, Brandee

Dear Les..so sorry to hear you are not feeling well..sending hugs and good thoughts from around the world. Be well..Brandee

Wow Les, you sure served bravely. As a wife of a once 20's and fearless, I swear my high blood pressure is a direct result of 30+ years of worry. My husband was involved in taking down the mob (Mafia) and Columbian gangs.

She was definitely in a class of her own!! Grandma Maria was a strong , independent, stubborn, illiterate Italian who after being widowed in her mid 50's, mourned for 10 years and then began her life of travel. US, Canada, France, Italy, Israel, Spain, UK, Germany, Caribbean and cruises. She was a labor union member and she and my mom made an ILGWU commercial for TV. She was thrown out of a senior residence for protesting violations to seniors' rights and refused to move in with her daughters. At 103 she had intermittent help (she fired over 25 health care workers for not doing their job). She lived in a rent controlled studio apartment in mid Manhattan (NYC) that I visited often with pre cooked food that she covered in red pepper flakes. When I grow up I want to be her..although Grandma Giuseppina who lived downstairs from me (Brooklyn) was equally a strong woman. She came to the US as a mail order bride for a man ,double her age, with 9 kids. I really have life so easy compared to them.

Port was always found in my grandma's house. She loved her port and coke. It was served with fruit after a big Italian meal. I remember there was a rule of only passing it to the left. Don't remember why. I know port and left is the same but no sailors in the family. (Well maybe my 30+ cruises makes me a sailor) She had cognac every morning and port with coke at night. Grandma died at 103 ..No ailments in her life.. Just a peaceful "unwinding" as the doctor said.

What size roast are you cooking? This sounds delicious. Do you sear it first to brown than drop the temperature to 70c? Do you rest it covered? Thanks, I would love to try this, especially the port and orange juice!

Hi Les, Before I left for vacation to Aruba, I wrote you a thank you for your kind words and also a thank you for your service. But it got zapped?? I did mention a , now funny, episode during my husband's long career as a federal treasury agent. (Organized crime was his field) He was a cross between Ellliot Ness and Inspector Clouseau. Perhaps it was top secret information, even 40 years later. Anyway, thankfully you are both reaping the benefits of retirement and hopefully a very long healthy life. Regarding my Aruba vacation. It was the third time back there since Oct 2020. No covid protocol this time and it was a little getting use to. No testing, masking, distancing. No masks on planes either. Back in March we did a 2b2 (10 days ea) cruise with testing, masks and some social distancing. That was also a little getting use to. Getting "Back in the Saddle" isn't that easy. I feel more like the Gene Autry version than Aerosmith...lol

So sorry Leigh to here about your mum. May memories of her love keep you smiling. Sending hugs and prayers to you and your family.

Hoping all your friends are safe and sound. After 35+ yrs in law enforcement, I was relieved when my husband retired. We live in a crazy world where no one is safe.

So sorry..all our fur babies are precious! Glad that Niki was home with his loving family.

❤️

Hi Leigh..Hope you and Rob are doing better. Rest and stay hydrated will help, of course. Wishes for a speedy recovery for both of you. Take care... Brandee

So glad to hear you are going on a cruise. You have had some major life changing events the past two years and are allowed to have some "why the f in me" moments. Sending you a hug from around the world. Take care!! BRANDEE

And nobody knows like "you". Been years since I heard that song by Edison LH!

That is what was done on our March cruise. Unless you had a specific table reserved, you were asked if you wanted to share and what size table. We saw that many people made tablemate friends and continued to dine with them.

I'm sure she loves everything with you too!! Belated Happy Birthday!

Pre covid, we used Viator in Australia, specifically Sydney area and New Zealand and were very satisfied. I have also used them in Europe and US.