Beejay4016

4 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

Glad the insurance came through when needed most.

They were great. Their rep in Hong Kong kept in contact with my mother-in-law and husband when they were up there, and I dealt with things here and it was handled so smoothly. I can't understand anybody who travels without insurance. It's that old saying, isn't it: if you can't afford travel insurance, you can't afford to travel.

Back on topic, though.  With our Commonwealth credit card the travel insurance is now through CoverMore. It used to be with Allianz, which was fine as my parents-in-law were with them and when my father-in-law had a stroke while on a cruise up to Hong Kong, everything was covered without too much stress - all the medical expenses in Hong Kong, a medivac flight back to Australia after just over two weeks in a HK hospital, the hotel for my mother-in-law and my husband, their meals etc, even their travel expenses going to and from the hospital every day. The only issue we had was with their doctor back home in Oz. He was away on holidays when it happened, and no other doctor in the surgery would provide the insurance company with the medical details that they needed. That delayed things for a couple of weeks, but I have to say the hotel in Hong Kong - the Novotel - was fantastic, accepting that confirmation of payment of all expenses would come through in due course.

Our next cruise is a domestic one with CMV. They actually insist that you have travel insurance, and you have to provide the details when you complete all the booking documentation. They do actually say that they have the right to refuse embarkation to anybody who doesn't have travel insurance. Top idea.

8 hours ago, kowhairob said:

She is all show and no substance.  She has a degree BSC in Politics and Public relations.  At least Scott Morrison won in Australia as a Shorten Government would of been disastrous for Australia and even New Zealand.  

Well said. Donning a headscarf after a massacre doesn't make you suddenly a great leader, just somebody who knows how to play the media. This is a woman who used to work for Tony Blair. If that isn't enough said, what is? I am so glad she's yours and not ours. We supped a nice bottle of bubbly last night to celebrate Shorten's defeat. People seem to forget that during the days of the "great" Hawke and Keating many people lost their homes as unemployment went through the roof and interest rates reached 18%. And let's not forget the financial mess from Rudd/Gillard/Rudd. I guess some people just long for the 'bad old days", but I'm with you. 🙂

It's one thing if the music is way too loud, but I think that wanting lower volumes so that you can chat with friends isn't really on. People go to watch a show. Whispering to your companion during is a show is one thing, but holding a conversation while others are trying to watch (and listen) can be cause for a few stern looks, and rightly so.

2 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Didn't Celebrity do a run from NZ over to Fremantle and back last season? Sold as two separate cruises, in February or early March. I'm not sure whether it included all the NZ ports though. We had to do our two-yearly Catch up with friends and family cruise much later in the season than I would have preferred.

 

I agree about Akaroa. It's a very special harbour.

They did, and we were on that cruise. It was fantastic - Auckland to Perth via a few NZ ports, Sydney (which, unlike Bubbeh, I think is a fabulous city with superb scenery and heaps to do), Hobart (always gorgeous), Adelaide, and then on to Perth. It was a top trip, but for people who don't handle swells possibly not the best - I think quite a few people found it a tad rough sometimes.  Re the NZ ports, it was Auckland, Tauranga, Napier, Wellington, and Picton, so for people wanting to visit Fjordland, Christchurch etc it's no good.

Two very different lines - classic v not. For me it would be a no-brainer, but we love HAL. Also, while HAL seems to be definitely for an older crowd in the USA, here in Australia that's not really the case. We have more holidays than you get in America, for instance - 4 weeks a year is the basic standard, with many people getting more than that - and so cruising is quite a popular holiday for people for whom taking 2 weeks or more on a cruise is no issue. We've done four cruises in this region with HAL and the average age was probably mid-50s to 60, and much the same on Celebrity. Sure, RCI is very much a family line, Carnival tends to attract the 20-somethings a lot. I think Norwegian is a fairly evenly spread demographic.

In New Zealand, I do hope that whichever you choose stops at Akaroa as it is a really lovely spot. Picton is a gorgeous place to visit (if you're interested in aviation or wartime history do an excursion to Peter Jackson's (oh, in NZ do refer to him as Sir Peter Jackson) fabulous Omaka Aviation Museum. It will blow you away. Probably our favourite port is Napier, the art deco town that oozes charm. Wherever your cruise takes you in NZ, though, you will find friendly people and stunning scenery. If the only way we could visit New Zealand was on a Carnival ship full of drunk 20-somethings, we'd probably take it - just make sure we only ventured out of our cabin to eat or go ashore.

We had a concierge cabin on the Solstice, and it was lovely. The bathooms are really nice, and we (not skinny people, and my man is 6'3" tall) found the shower to be fine. No bathtubs in the bathroom. The bed was great, and with the concierge staterooms you get comfortable balcony furniture, afternoon snacks, fresh flowers in your room, and there are some other benefits as well. On our NZ cruise there was only a couple of hundred dollars difference between the concierge and balcony cabins, and I felt it was a couple of hundred well spent. Go for it. The ship is beautiful, although we do prefer HAL and the smaller vessels, and there is always something happening.

The old saying is you can fit a boat on a ship, but you'll never fit a ship on a boat.

My suggestion would be to get on a ferry up to Perth - a lovely ride along the Swan River, and you end up right in the middle of the city. The middle of Fremantle has been undergoing major works for the last couple of years and is a total mess. Yes, the Maritime Museum, along the dock from where the cruise ships tie up, is worth a visit, but that's just about it. I think that they have recently even closed The Round House because of safety issues. And then there are the drunks ...

Having said that, for great Italian food you can't beat some of the little restaurants and cafes along 'The Strip', and there are some really interesting shops along High Street, particularly a couple selling wonderful Aboriginal art.

Last night's episode of Coast New Zealand had a really interesting section on the history of Akaroa, and watching it was just lovely - brought back great memories.

On 4/26/2019 at 3:45 PM, Lillibee said:

Thankyou! 

 

It's the second cruise departing freemantle 

Just one "e" - Fremantle. Don't expect a glamorous dock at Freo, as we call it. They have done a bit of cosmetic work but it's not like some of the wonderful ports in other cities and countries.

3 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Although I know it is more practical to have the ships docking in Lyttelton I will miss being anchored in Akaroa Harbour. It's so beautiful and peaceful there, and Akaroa is lovely to just wander around. Although Lyttelton Harbour is also lovely, Lyttelton is an industrial port so will be less peaceful.

I'm just so glad that on our HAL cruise we stopped at Akaroa - such a beautiful town.

When we did New Zealand on the Noordam she sailed from White Bay (great service there), but on return she tied up at the OPT. Sailing under the bridge was fantastic.

We did New Zealand on the Noordam, and I thought they had the best piano bar we've come across. For us, it's the staff on HAL that set the line apart - always smiling, always remember your name, always lovely. Enjoy.

I've read plenty of posts where people have requested cheese and crackers instead of these snacks. I think that without calling for an end to the practice, simply investigate some alternatives.

Your post reminded of the amazing thing that the concierge on Constellation did 3 years ago. I also have long and thick hair. On a mid cruise survey asking about crew members who were making the cruise extra special and also asking for suggestion that could make your cruise more special I off handedly made a suggestion about the cruise line provided hair dryers. (I had my own so not an issue) I suggested that the dryers that have the button that have to be held in for air flow were difficult for passengers with long, thick hair or with dexterity hand issues. The next evening while dressing for dinner, our phone rang. I was puzzled since we weren't travelling with friends and DH was in the shower who could be calling. It was the concierge. She had read my survey. She called all around the ship (including suites) and found no other type of dryer on board. She called to offer me the use of her personal hair dryer for the remainder of the cruise. I was (no pun intended) blown away! Since I had my own, I declined the amazing offer, but thanked her for her generosity. (We also tipped her generously and praised her to management)

Now, that is service. Wow.

On HAL, I could get a bottle of Tanqueray gin for under $45 CAD, but Celebrity wants $125 CAD. :eek: No wonder some passengers resort to rum runners!

Yes, as previous HAL cruisers, I couldn't believe it when I went to order a bottle of Tanqueray (our favourite also) or Sapphire for our forthcoming Solstice cruise. Oh, and the Sapphire, which is about the same price in bottle shops here, is even more expensive at something like Aus$165. Just not happening, not at a price that is nothing short of absolutely robbery. There is nothing that could justify that price. On another thread one regular cruiser spoke of ordering a gin (or whatever) after breakfast and taking it with him back to his room where he poured it into a plastic bottle that he kept in the fridge. He would then go to various bars during the day and do the same so that before too long he ended up with the equivalent of a bottle of gin, and then would just get cans of tonic. It seems such a terrible way to have to do it, but I'd rather do that than pay what Celebrity charge for a bottle.

They need to send some chief housekeepers on HAL to learn how to do things.

You can stay in your cabin till your number is called to leave. We are on the early end of disembarkation and usually leave about8:30- 9. I would guess everyone is off by 10.

Embarkation of the next cruise starts at 11:30 and all cabins are ready at that time.

The stewards start preparing the cabins of those who have self disembarkation and clean as rooms are vacated. They give out the tags so they know when everyone is leaving.

It's not as difficult as X is making it seem. They just need better training.

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We got very good rates at the Quadrant Hotel & Suites in Auckland for our pre-cruise stay in a few weeks. It's walking distance down to the pier area and to some good shopping, or there are a couple of bus stops on the same street.

I remember (years ago) when Celebrity use to offer the sorbet in the MDR before the main course to cleanse the palate. Also offering sorbet during sea days on the pool deck.

Perfect: sorbet to cleanse the palate; cheese course to come before dessert (very French). I'm sure you could order whatever the cheese offering may be and then move on to dessert.

Mmm

 

Hi beejay,

Cagney's, Le bistro, la cucina and sushi bar are charged a la carte (plus 18% gratuities) and teppanyaki is one set price.

On our trip, we had pre-purchased a dining package @$30aud per meal (including gratuities) and also chose a dining package as one of our perks. All up we had seven meals pre-paid /included. Note that the sushi bar is not included in the dining package.

 

The drinks package was included in our fare as one of the perks. I can't remember the price if purchased separately but it was quite expensive. Ncl have lots of promotions so you can keep an eye out and take advantage of any discounts.

For example I re-ticketed our trip twice (taking advantage of price drops) and ended up from an interior cabin to a balcony for a lot less money than if I had booked the balcony first.

 

Below are a couple of photos of our balcony room.

 

Also these are my favourite youtube clips :-)

 

 

 

 

 

Hope this helps.

 

Kind regards

 

Andrew

 

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

Hi Andrew. Many thanks for that info, the photos and links. It's great that you were able to cancel and rebook as a balcony cabin really is fantastic always - just being able to walk out onto your balcony first thing in the morning, or sit there in the evening with a glass of something in hand and watch the sun set. I'll certainly keep an eye out for special deals.

Cheers, Bev

I wouldn't insult my Aussie friends that way :)! Now, if you could find a Victoria Bitter...

Wait until you try a James Squire or a James Boag. Lovely stuff.

And on a lighter note, upon learning that it is Australia Day, we in the USA just want to wish all our Aussie friends and fellow cruisers a happy and safe Australia Day.

 

Many thanks for that. Here in Perth our New Year's fireworks and celebrations are nothing compared to Sydney, but we really turn it on for Australia Day. For over 30 years we've celebrated by a fantastic skyshow on Australia Day, the largest one in Australia. Here's a link to show some photos of the event: https://www.perthnow.com.au/lifestyle/perth-prepares-to-celebrate-return-of-skyworks-ng-b88726588z

And THE BEST Australian song that it sung far and wide on Australia Day:

Cheers :D

All good - no offence intended or taken. Happy Australia Day! [emoji106][emoji1037]

 

Cheers [emoji482]

Mick

And to you also. (y)

Great review, Andrew - you really took the reader along with you. We've previously only sailed HAL (well, actually one trip on the Pacific Pearl, but we'll ignore that), but next month we sail on the Celebrity Solstice. I tend to steer clear of Princess because so many relatives sail with them, and who wants to be constantly bumping into cousins when on holidays. However, your review has really made me consider NCL for a future cruise. Everything looked great.

One thing that puzzled me, though, was the prices on so many dishes, and on the Cucina menu. I'm assuming that the meals in the MDL and the buffet are included, but are all the other menus actually priced for each individual dish rather than simply a "Dining Package" such as you get on other cruise lines? Also, what is the cost of the drinks package like?

Any photos of the actual staterooms, by the way?