Over from NZ

3 hours ago, ceeceeDee said:

Good old P&O, you see it all.😂

Out of Aussie; it's the same people on Princess.. just a generation older. 😂

On 3/15/2024 at 4:37 PM, LBlank1 said:

Is anyone doing the Sun Princess 7 Day Barcelona to Rome itinerary on June 1st? Starts in Barcelona, then Gilbaltar, Mariseille (Provence), Genoa, Florence/ Pisa (La Spezia), Rome. Two Sea Days. This will be our first cruise ever and our first time in Europe. We are new to this. Are these good ports? We are somewhat familiar with Barcelona, Florence, and Rome but not the other stops. I'd love some input. Thanks!

They're exceptional ports if you're willing to put the effort in! 🙂 We've been to them all twice. First time around we sold ourselves short in Marseille by not organising anything. Was our fault. Second time we went to the Palace of the Popes in Avignon and the Pont Du Gard. 

10 hours ago, mokiemokiemokie said:

Are the teen clubs free?  Can the kids come and go without parents signing them in or out?  Are they well attended or ghost towns?

 

We didn't take our teen when we did the Med (twice). However they were "ghost towns". Almost no kids/teens on the ship at all (May/June both times). I even took a pic to show him that he probably wouldn't have enjoyed it like he enjoyed the South Pacific cruises over holiday periods. 

Are you looking for best or cheapest? Taxi or Uber is by far the easiest. 

30 minutes ago, memoak said:

What ship and itinerary has more than 5 formal nights ?  Sorry dupe 

Many of them do. There's usually on average about 2 a week. It was a 21-night cruise in the Mediterranean. 

2 hours ago, cruisepest said:

There really is no dress code anymore. We just got off the Regal today we saw men and women in shorts and baseball hats at dinner in the MDR and in the Crown Grill and Sabatini's on formal and casual nights.

Yep. Our last Mediterranean cruise; after wearing a suit to the first 5 formal nights.. I duly presented in the MDR in shorts and Polo-shirt for the 6th like so many others I had observed. I enjoyed the food as much as the first 5. I did feel a bit self-conscious.. but that was all in my head. Once I got over myself and realised that nobody cared what I was wearing.. I was fine lol 🙂 

15 hours ago, RNRcruisers said:

I am curious about this also. I loved traditional dining and would definitely do that if it were an option. I also wonder if it means Princess might bring it back on some other ships?...

We really used to enjoy traditional dining and taking that away was a negative. Be good if they brought it back on other ships too. 

21 hours ago, Wishing on a star said:

I am interested in details about the new dining room on the Sun Princess.

The new dining room concept looks amazing.

Has anyone done the Traditional early/late seating?  How has that worked out?

Trying to decide whether to book Traditional as to be on that main floor.

Of course, Canadianburger mentioned motion there in the very Aft.

Has anyone felt that as an ongoing problem.  (of coarse, that is where the huge windows are)

Wouldn't that motion be felt on the Wakeview Terrace area, and pool?

Traditional dining is long gone.

Difference in motion will be negligible. Worrying about nothing 🙂 

8 hours ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Formal nights?  They went away except for Cunard some years ago.  Think of what you would wear to a nice restaurant at home.  DW wears a dressy blouse, nice jewelry and long silky pants.  I occasionally will wear a dress shirt and once each cruise a tie.  I bring a sports coat if cruising or visiting cool places.

Cruises in the Med tend to be dressier. Alaska and the Caribbean more casual.

If you want more answers simply do a search on Dress Code or Formal.  Hundreds of threads.

And yes a very few will be in gowns and tuxedos or kilts 

In the Med.. shorts and Polo shirts will now suffice for formal night. 

It must be rough & ready in Alaska & the Caribbean then!! hahaha. 

1 hour ago, watsonbeau said:

Yes just the one day.

Gotcha. We had 4-nights there last year. Purpletraveller's post sums it up very well. We did all those things. We also had a trip to Mdina (about 30-40 min bus-ride) because the wife is a GOT fan (and it was a great wee medieval walled town!) and a day-trip (similar bus-time) to Marsaxlokk where we saw the traditional Luzzo boats and had a ride in one to the grotto. However if you're just there for the day.. would look at Purpletraveller's recommendations. We enjoyed Fort St Elmo.. but even just wandering round Valetta admiring the old buildings, city walls etc was great. 

Are you just there for the day? 

On 3/16/2024 at 12:42 AM, cruisemom42 said:

Since you already are familiar with Princess...

 

For many years now Princess has offered some very well put together "sampler" itineraries in the Med. I used to recommend them to a lot of first time Med travelers as a way to get a broad taste of the region. 

 

I don't know when you're planning to go, but in 2024 Princess has their newest (and largest) ship, Sun Princess, in the Med and offers some good 14-day itineraries that cover a lot of ground. For example, this one would provide you with stops in Spain, Italy, a couple of Greek islands (Santorini and Mykonos) and even Istanbul, Turkey.

 

It starts in Barcelona and ends in Athens, giving you a chance to extend your trip by a day or two on either end and see these two places as well. (Fair warning, without an extra day or two, you will have VERY little chance to see anything of them....)

 

 

 

The biggest weaknesses of this particular itinerary to me are that you only get one day in Rome (which really deserves thee at a minimum), and you don't get to see Venice. But Venice is a bit of a hassle these days by cruise ship, as the ships are not allowed to dock anywhere near the city. (The options for larger ships are all about 2+ hours away from Venice itself.)

 

This other itinerary (also Sun Princess, 14 days) is also a good option. You get to start and end in Athens and Rome, which I like better. Still get Barcelona, and you can see a lot there in a day. You lose Istanbul, but gain Kotor (which includes a scenic cruise through Kotor Bay), another lovely Greek Isle (Corfu) and a stop in Sicily.

 

 

These are just a couple of ideas. Many other lines offer similar cruises but I've always thought Princess does a nice job of picking some of the highlights. Anything less than 14 days probably won't get you from one side of the Med to the other.

 

Good luck, whatever you decide!

 

Easy solution. 

That particular itinerary can start and finish in Rome. Fly into Venice.. spend a few nights there and train to Rome. Then do the 21 night round-trip, Rome-Rome. 

The mighty dollar talks.. for now. 

Cruise ships are not exactly endeared by the public in NZ.. and I'm sure many would like to see them gone altogether. Reading the article and seeing just how bad they are.. does make me cringe a bit and I'm obviously guilty of having partaken. You might find at some point.. a country such as NZ with a green-coalition and not as much invested in the industry, says.. 'nup.. no more'. But I can't see countries with big dollars invested in the cruise industry turning them away. I think they're too big of a thing in Aussie to get rid of. I don't think the writing is on the wall for cruising.. nowhere near it in the near-future. For now they can get away with virtue signaling..  but it's going to have to change at some point in the decades to come. At some point as global warming etc ramps up and the bigger economies get more serious.. the cruise industry has a major problem coming. I wouldn't be buying shares in them for the long-haul lol 🙂 

Wow. Without fact checking any of it.. if that video is correct.. that's a horrific indictment for cruise-ships. It's just horrible. But horrible enough to make us all feel ashamed? 

5 hours ago, sciencewonk said:

People who work for tips are among the most vulnerable people in our society.  The large corporations who employ them get away with paying lower wages because the companies are insulated from the fallout.  Tipping is NOT bribery.  It is a recognition of a service someone has performed specifically for you.  Withholding tips doesn't hurt large corporations, it only hurts those who can least afford it.

The "bribery" comment is more to do with the fact that it required a tip in order for the staff to find those people seats each night. They should be doing that for you regardless. If they're telling you there's no seats.. but for a fee, they can make them appear - that's a bribe. 

2 hours ago, aussielil said:

Just received a notice of changes to ANZ Platinum complimentary International travel Insurance today.

I'm just checking to see if anyone else received the notice in the mail,  as I could be reading this incorrectly.

 

Insurable events before the 7th June 2024 don't change but events on and after 7th June 2024 some things will change.

International Travel Insurance:- Period of cover for Platinum Credit Card cardholders -(In 2023 the period of cover was six consecutive months) has now changed after 7th June 2024 to:- three months consecutive insurance for cardholders, their spouses and/or dependants. 

 

There are other changes but this one is more important to me if I was on the 113 day World Cruise in 2025.

thanks in advance.

 

Interesting. ANZ Platinum card insurance clients in NZ have always got a rough deal compared to our Australian counterparts even though ANZ Australia owns ANZ NZ.. and ours is 90-days (although you can apply at their discretion for an extension up to 180 days). I've never trusted the free insurance and have always booked my own.. but as you say - if you were relying on the free card insurance and doing a world trip.. you better look elsewhere for cover. 

On 3/5/2024 at 12:39 PM, Carnevale said:

We have a couple of full days on Malta before our cruise starts and would really appreciate input on a couple of things:

 

- What's the best way to get from the airport (MLA) to hotels in the central part of Valletta (the old part of the city)? I know it is a short ride but I'm wondering if anyone has used a car service that they recommend or if it is best to get a taxi or Uber.

 

- Any suggestions on hotels? We are booked right now at the Cumberland Hotel in Valletta but would appreciate any feedback from others who have stayed there as well as suggestions for other hotels if there is something that has been a really good experience for you.

 

Thanks in advance for your input!

We had 4-nights here last June and it was excellent - https://www.ikcollection.com/palazzoconsiglia/

It's right in the heart of Valetta. 

We just got a taxi from the airport to the Hotel. It's cheap and easy. Was very easy to just get one at the airport once we got off the plane. 

Malta is a cool wee place. Loved it there!

1 hour ago, cr8tiv1 said:

You may make appointments (very limited hour).  Each office visit will cost you $49 ( and supplies?) billed to your folio.

 

Be sure to request a medical history record.  Cost is $28.  Medicare will probably deny payment.  I don’t know if cruise insurance will cover this expense.  Be sure to ask your doctor for a written note explaining the need for services.  I am not sure if this will fall under pre-condition.

 

Might be helpful to know itinerary.  Visits to urgent care on land?

It'll cost you a lot more than $49 a visit! 🙂 

3 hours ago, Karaboudjan said:

Is it customary in Australia (and maybe New Zealand also) for a server in a restaurant to wait for you to request the check and not initiate that in any way?  Based on our somewhat limited experience this was our impression.  Coming from the US where you almost always get asked or simply brought the check this surprised us a bit.

Yep. When you're done.. you just go up to the counter and pay on your way out. 🙂 

35 minutes ago, reeves35 said:

It is very sad that this has happened and I feel for affected travellers but I am not surprised and, unfortunately, think we will see more cruiselines cancel or reduce their Australian seasons.  We have already seen Cunard announce 24/25 as the last season they will homeport in Australia and it is unclear if RCCL intend to replace Quantum in Brisbane.  

 

The Red Sea conflict and the resulting much longer repositioning cruise for a Europe based ship is really just the finishing touch on top of a situation where revenues from Australian seasons are unattractive compared with alternatives such as the Caribbean and extra costs such as those now imposed by NZ for ships that want to visit the Sounds and high Australian port costs make matters even worse.

 

We will still see some ships down here that do NS Alaska seasons but the forecast growth of the Australian cruise industry is definitely going to be much less than was expected just 12 months ago.

Well summed up. 

On 2/19/2024 at 4:53 AM, KYBOB said:

We were again up early to watch the ship come in at Lyttelton the port city for Christchurch. To get to Christchurch there was a tunnel almost directly opposite where the ship docked. You go through the tunnel and you come out in Christchurch. The building you will see on top of the mountain is the tram. You have to go through the tunnel to access it. Today we were off on one of the most adventurous tours we have ever. Done, a jet boat ride up the Waimakariri River. Billed as “the birth place of jet boats”. The ride was amazing full of 360 spins and all. Just was too short. We missed riding one of these in Alaska but to ride one here was a special experience. After the jet boat ride we took a 4x4 up into the hills for some incredible views. We returned via Christchurch for a quick drive through town. If we return this would be a place we would like to come to spend some time.

Some greqt pics and commentary! Definately not the Tram at the top of the hill though lol! There's a gondola that goes up the hill though. The Tram is in the centre of the city 🙂 

Our last cruise.. it was an extra $5k for a balcony. We couldn't justify it. We've had balconies in the past and never got the use from them. I don't like being cooped up.. so a balcony is wasted on me. I don't go on holiday to stay in my room. Particularly when we have itineraries with port days almost every day. That said.. we've got a balcony room later this year on a Pacific cruise because it wasn't much dearer and we might spend possibly a few hours in it maybe.  

Sadly, traditional dining got the heave-ho. Part of the casualisation of the dining experience which includes the dress code as well. Oh well, is what it is. It's now less of an occasion.. but the food is still alright 🙂 

1 hour ago, memoak said:

Those are itineraries not ships. All ships have had smoking at one time some are just worse than others. It always amazes me that some ships have horrible tobacco smell while in others you can hardly tell 

You're splitting hairs. When those ships are home-ported down under for much of the year.. there is no smoking inside whatsoever. The casinos are 100% smokefree. 

1 hour ago, memoak said:

There are no non smoking casinos in the Princess fleet. Our biggest complaint is that there are almost always more slots on the smoking side of the casino of all ships

Yes there are! Any ships sailing out of Australian and NZ ports for a start are non-smoking indoors.