Guadelcanal, Rabaul, and Luganville..WW2

[Hawaiidan]

This is a heads up for a Princess Sailing Jan 22 2016 rt Brisbane Australia.

This cruise of 14 days hill visit the rarely visited Solomons where the tide of WW2 in the pacific was turned by the US, and Australians. Where PT 109 sailed. and places like Gizo and Iron Bottom sound bring memories back.

 

I am booked on this and for any of you vets past and present or history buffs, I am trying to put together some land tours ( the ship doesn't do this).

If you ever wanted to go this is the chance... less than 2 ships a year ever visit.

I am a vet and this is not a commercial proposal...just seeking other like folks.

 

See under Sea Princess, Jan 22 2016 in the roll call

[goofy559]

This is a heads up for a Princess Sailing Jan 22 2016 rt Brisbane Australia.

This cruise of 14 days hill visit the rarely visited Solomons where the tide of WW2 in the pacific was turned by the US, and Australians. Where PT 109 sailed. and places like Gizo and Iron Bottom sound bring memories back.

 

I am booked on this and for any of you vets past and present or history buffs, I am trying to put together some land tours ( the ship doesn't do this).

If you ever wanted to go this is the chance... less than 2 ships a year ever visit.

I am a vet and this is not a commercial proposal...just seeking other like folks.

 

See under Sea Princess, Jan 22 2016 in the roll call

 

Thank you so much for flagging this! It's somewhere I've always wanted to visit (and I turn 50 that year :eek:) Sounds like a perfect gift!

[Cruiserkenn]

Thanks so much. I wish I could go. I can't leave my home in January, as I fear that my house would be buried in snow, and my pipes would freeze and burst, if I was away in January.

 

I also love the Sea Princess and the Sun Class ships.

 

Please let us all know how this cruise is.

[Kamloops50]

This is a heads up for a Princess Sailing Jan 22 2016 rt Brisbane Australia.

This cruise of 14 days hill visit the rarely visited Solomons where the tide of WW2 in the pacific was turned by the US, and Australians. Where PT 109 sailed. and places like Gizo and Iron Bottom sound bring memories back.

 

I am booked on this and for any of you vets past and present or history buffs, I am trying to put together some land tours ( the ship doesn't do this).

If you ever wanted to go this is the chance... less than 2 ships a year ever visit.

I am a vet and this is not a commercial proposal...just seeking other like folks.

 

See under Sea Princess, Jan 22 2016 in the roll call

 

Princess actually has three cruises that same trip in 2016.

The Sun , Sea and Dawn Princess are doing the same trip in different months.

[Kamloops50]

Have hold on this cruise until Nov 21. This area is on my bucket list to see. I've studied the Pacific Theater of Operations as a hobby.

 

Sent from my SGH-I317M using Forums mobile app

[spirit28]

Did this cruise on Dawn back in September, although it was a 20 day cruise that included Milne Bay & Rabaul as well as a couple of islands off the eastern tip of PNG.

 

Some of these places are pretty underdeveloped to say the least and hadn't changed much since I was there some 30 years ago when I was in the Navy.

 

Still was very interesting though. Pity there were no organised tours in Honiara (Guadalcanal - also a tender port), but some went on private tours which were pretty good by all accounts. Luganville (Vanuatu) was an interesting stop - no much there but still plenty of evidence of the large US base during the war with nissan huts, wharfs & abandoned equipment. The main road is original US WW2 built and is wide enough for tanks to pass each other (apparently). Testament to the great engineering skills back in those days.

 

From Rabaul (which we couldn't dock at due to the Volcano playing up), the ship travelled down the "Slot" to Guadalcanal past all those historic points of interest as mentioned by the OP. We fortunate to have a fantastic lecturer (name escapes me) who gave a series of lectures on the war in the SW Pacific, having been very interested in the history of the area, this guy was actually able to piece it all together so it all made sense.

 

Be prepared for hot & humid weather that time of year...

[Hawaiidan]

I am in contact with a John Innes, the historical authority and guide for visiting Marines. THe guy wrote a book on the sites...

 

This cruise works better than the others in that it hits Luganville, is 14 days long and also the Miline Bay where the Anzac forced fought tooth and nail against the Jap invasion fleet.

 

It also prices cheaper than the others. In fact P&0 is doing this but at a cost of more than $40 a day more + gotta book in OZ and pay a 1.5% service charge... With The Princess cruise ( yes I know P&O and princess are related) your getting 14 days for the price of 10. Not bad

 

Being an Australian based ship please note that there is no " daily service charge" or 15% on drinks added

 

Even better is the Friday to Friday 14 day schedule. This means that one can fly into Cairns and zip down to Brisbane and back for like $139

Flying into Cairns, is way cheaper and easier than into Sydney and award seats are easier and cheaper... if you paly your cards right you can fly first class rt for 140,000 rather than 390,000 miles to Sydney

 

Yes it will be warm and humid....thats the way it is. And its not developed many sites still preserved like Basilones MG position, Alligator creek, Edsons ridge....

 

Even better, on the return the flight departs on Monday for US ( only Friday and Monday departures) meaning you get 2 full days in Cairns for a Great Barrier Reef Trip... You can take a great 1200 mile overnight train trip from Brisbane to Cairns giving you a great land view up the coast for like $230 meals and sleeper included....

You can also get a return flight through Tokyo and do a layover their or Guam, and other historical place

 

SO wrap your pipes, and pack your ditty bag turn 2... Any one who wants to tag along is welcome..

Just remember, you can always get more money but you cant get more time..........

[goofy559]

I am in contact with a John Innes, the historical authority and guide for visiting Marines. THe guy wrote a book on the sites...

 

This cruise works better than the others in that it hits Luganville, is 14 days long and also the Miline Bay where the Anzac forced fought tooth and nail against the Jap invasion fleet.

 

Yes it will be warm and humid....thats the way it is. And its not developed many sites still preserved like Basilones MG position, Alligator creek, Edsons ridge....

 

You can take a great 1200 mile overnight train trip from Brisbane to Cairns giving you a great land view up the coast for like $230 meals and sleeper included....

 

You can also get a return flight through Tokyo and do a layover their or Guam, and other historical place

 

SO wrap your pipes, and pack your ditty bag turn 2... Any one who wants to tag along is welcome..

Just remember, you can always get more money but you cant get more time..........

 

I have also put a hold on this cruise and have advised my DH to be ready! Loved Cairns the one time we visited - looking forward to going back.

[Aus Traveller]

I am in contact with a John Innes, the historical authority and guide for visiting Marines. THe guy wrote a book on the sites...

 

This cruise works better than the others in that it hits Luganville, is 14 days long and also the Miline Bay where the Anzac forced fought tooth and nail against the Jap invasion fleet.

 

It also prices cheaper than the others. In fact P&0 is doing this but at a cost of more than $40 a day more + gotta book in OZ and pay a 1.5% service charge... With The Princess cruise ( yes I know P&O and princess are related) your getting 14 days for the price of 10. Not bad

 

Being an Australian based ship please note that there is no " daily service charge" or 15% on drinks added

 

Even better is the Friday to Friday 14 day schedule. This means that one can fly into Cairns and zip down to Brisbane and back for like $139

Flying into Cairns, is way cheaper and easier than into Sydney and award seats are easier and cheaper... if you paly your cards right you can fly first class rt for 140,000 rather than 390,000 miles to Sydney

 

Yes it will be warm and humid....thats the way it is. And its not developed many sites still preserved like Basilones MG position, Alligator creek, Edsons ridge....

 

Even better, on the return the flight departs on Monday for US ( only Friday and Monday departures) meaning you get 2 full days in Cairns for a Great Barrier Reef Trip... You can take a great 1200 mile overnight train trip from Brisbane to Cairns giving you a great land view up the coast for like $230 meals and sleeper included....

You can also get a return flight through Tokyo and do a layover their or Guam, and other historical place

 

SO wrap your pipes, and pack your ditty bag turn 2... Any one who wants to tag along is welcome..

Just remember, you can always get more money but you cant get more time..........

A couple of comments -

I think you will find that P&O and Princess and Australian travel agents will all charge 1.5% surcharge if you pay with a credit card. If you can book Princess in USA maybe you can avoid this fee.

 

From when tips were removed from Aust-based Princess and on P&O ships (1st May 2011 for Princess and around 2 years earlier for P&O), staff are paid at a higher rate. Passengers who book in USA and UK are still charged tips. As mentioned, the 15% gratuity is not added to drinks prices, but price are higher than on US based ships.

 

I recommend Princess over P&O. P&O have changed their marketing strategy to appeal to a different demographic. To compare the two lines:

 

P&O have a few really good shows shows that are better than Princess (in my opinion)

P&O is now appealing to a younger crowd than Princess so they don't have enrichment lectures. There are more sporting and deck activities than on Princess.

On formal night on P&O I have seen young men in the dining room in shorts and singlets (a sleeveless T shirt)

Dining room on P&O is only 'anytime' where on Princess it is only 'traditional'.

Security staff are more in evidence on P&O than on Princess (good? or bad?)

 

Regarding the ports -

The original poster mentioned Luganville. Although it was an important American base during WWII and it was the setting for the book (then musical) South Pacific, there isn't much to be seen that relates to WWII. The wreckage of the SS President Coolidge (that sunk after hitting a US mine) is close to shore, but can only be seen by scuba divers.

 

Similarly I have heard that there isn't very much to be seen at Milne Bay, but I will be answer this better in a couple of weeks' time after I have visited it on a cruise.

 

The suggestions put by the original poster for travel sound great. The train trip from Brisbane to Cairns is one option for this leg. You do see some countryside, but maybe this isn't the best use of the time (31 hours travel time). I suggest that flying that leg and using the time for land-based sightseeing might be better.:)

Edited November 19, 2014 by Aus Traveller

[Hawaiidan]

Given that UAL only flys to CNS on Fridays and Mondays and that the ship sails Friday to Friday.

 

Arrive CNS at 0130 Friday morning and take a flight on to Brisbane arriving0630, grab a quick room and board at 1400 for a 1700 departure.

Do the 14 day cruise....

Return to Brisbane. Debark 0900 friday and head to train station for a 1530

departure to Cairns, on the tilt train now a 23 hour trip Sleeper/meals. and use the time to see some of OZ I have not seen ( I have been 4 times to NSW, Tassie, Mel.)

 

Arrive in Cairns the next afternoon 1520 and head for a hotel and book a reef tour the next day Sunday Stay at the Hilton at the Marina.

Sunday take a reef day tour.

Monday morning at 0130, depart for GUM-INC-LAX on UAL and Asiana,

Don't have to rent a car, and only take 4 cabs total.

 

Yes it is not legal to charge a customer in the USA the CC service. ( Visa)

On Luganville there also some great water caves to visit....really outstanding.

On Guadalcanal I have the assistance of the best guide in the pacific.

I am hoping for enrichment on Princess.

P&0 seemed way overpriced, and acting arrogant.. Princess USA was good with my agent who grants very good discounts/rebates.

 

I will see on the daily charge as my research shows charging AU passengers the same as US and others the same fare. If this is so I will request removal in fairness as it is discriminatory. ( we don't charge visitors more than we do ourselves)

[Aus Traveller]

Given that UAL only flys to CNS on Fridays and Mondays and that the ship sails Friday to Friday.

 

Arrive CNS at 0130 Friday morning and take a flight on to Brisbane arriving0630, grab a quick room and board at 1400 for a 1700 departure.

Do the 14 day cruise....

Return to Brisbane. Debark 0900 friday and head to train station for a 1530

departure to Cairns, on the tilt train now a 23 hour trip Sleeper/meals. and use the time to see some of OZ I have not seen ( I have been 4 times to NSW, Tassie, Mel.)

 

Arrive in Cairns the next afternoon 1520 and head for a hotel and book a reef tour the next day Sunday Stay at the Hilton at the Marina.

Sunday take a reef day tour.

Monday morning at 0130, depart for GUM-INC-LAX on UAL and Asiana,

Don't have to rent a car, and only take 4 cabs total.

 

Yes it is not legal to charge a customer in the USA the CC service. ( Visa)

On Luganville there also some great water caves to visit....really outstanding.

On Guadalcanal I have the assistance of the best guide in the pacific.

I am hoping for enrichment on Princess.

P&0 seemed way overpriced, and acting arrogant.. Princess USA was good with my agent who grants very good discounts/rebates.

 

I will see on the daily charge as my research shows charging AU passengers the same as US and others the same fare. If this is so I will request removal in fairness as it is discriminatory. ( we don't charge visitors more than we do ourselves)

Great planning and good information.

 

Re the daily charge - it is up to you if you want to remove it. You need not feel guilty if you do because the staff are paid at a much higher rate now that the auto tips have been removed. I don't know why Princess charge some people tips when it is not the normal practice on that ship. As you say, you are paying the same for the cruise as the Aussies do and they don't have to pay tips. Some do tip staff directly.

 

Please don't anyone 'jump on me' for my comment about removing tips. When we cruise on ships where tipping is the norm, we always leave the auto tip in place and may tip more in addition.:)

 

You mention that you are hoping for enrichment lecturers on your cruise. Princess (Australia) usually have a port lecturer separate from the Shore Tours staff and very often have lecturers in other topics. On the cruise you mention, lectures on WWII in the Pacific would be most appropriate. Maybe it would be worth asking Princess. It can't hurt to enquire, even if they don't know at the moment what will be offered.

Edited November 21, 2014 by Aus Traveller

[Aus Traveller]

We have just returned from the Sea Princess cruise to New Guinea. It was an identical itinerary to the cruise on 21st February, 2015.

 

Some comments -

 

Alotau - Princess had two tours. One was to the 'festival' and one to Milne Bay WWII historical sites. The Milne Bay tour sold out well before the cruise and it appears that the Shore Ex manager wasn't able to get extra buses/guides. A good guide would be essential and passengers who went on this tour were very happy with it. If you want to do this tour, I suggest you book as soon as the tours are available on the internet. We went on the 'festival' one. It wasn't really a festival, rather a continuous show put on by the locals with singing/dancing and with their colourful boats. It was very interesting.

 

Kitava - Unspoiled island where people enjoyed swimming/snorkelling. The natives from several islands have their wares laid out for sale. They were mainly wood carvings (lovely pieces with mother-of-pearl inlaid), baskets and shell jewellery. Passengers can walk to the village/school etc. It is a couple of kilometres - people mentioned a two-hour return walk. The track goes uphill. We went to the island too late in the day to do the walk. It was midday before we started off and it was simply too hot. We will leave the walk until next time. :)

 

Rabaul - Tours are either to WWII sites (cemetery, museum & Japanese tunnels). I heard only good reports. We went on the volcanological observatory tour which was excellent. We visited the observatory, a local village where the children danced for us, an area of hot bubbling water close to the volcano and saw the wreck of a Japanese bomber. There were tours for sale outside the port gates. Prices were around AUD$70-AUD$90. Volcanic ash gets into everything. I suggest you wear dark-coloured trousers. When I showered and washed my hair that night, there was quite a bit of volcanic grit on the shower floor. Take care of your camera if you take photos out of the window of a moving vehicle. One of our cameras got grit into the closing mechanism of the shutter. This was easily blown out when we got back to the ship, but it is something to beware of.

 

Kiriwina Is - Once again, swimming etc, but there is coral close to shore so swimming can be a bit tricky. There are a lot of carvings etc for sale. They were probably more elaborate than at Kitava, with a lot of stunning bowls - both round and free-form, all inset with mother-of-pearl and sometimes cats' eyes as well.

 

Doini Is - Probably the loveliest island. This is a great place to swim with sand underfoot. Tenders bring passengers ashore at tiny resort. Many people seemed to spend a lot of the day enjoying drinks at the bar. There were several groups of bare-breasted locals dancing. Carvings etc. were a bit similar to the previous islands, but I felt they were a little bit more expensive.

 

PNG currency (kena) was available on the dock at Alotau, but they ran out of currency. Passengers were able to purchase souvenirs using Aust dollars, but the locals can have problems trying to bank them at the smaller islands. A comment was made that the ship would have kena available on board for the Feb cruise, but I wouldn't count on that as it might have just been a rumour.

[Darcy15]

Thank you to everybody for their posts :)

 

I am doing the PNG cruise in 2016 and so looking forward to visiting such an unusual destination :D

 

Any and all information is gratefully received :)

[azbirdmom]

This seems like a very nice itinerary and we're checking with our TA on prices. I was surprised to hear that the Sea Princess only has Traditional Dining and not Anytime though. We love the flexibility but will "suffer through" all of the structure associated with TD if we sign up. :D

 

Looking at the deck plans, I can't see that they have an Alfredo's or a pizzeria on the Sea Princess. It would be odd to be on a Princess ship without pizza. Is it served in another venue, perhaps Café Corniche (which I've never heard of before)?

[Aus Traveller]

Sea Princess has the Verdi Pizzeria on deck 8. There is no International Cafe, and I haven't heard of Alfredo's. Dining is only traditional, but there is always the option of the Horizon Court or the Steakhouse.

[azbirdmom]

Sea Princess has the Verdi Pizzeria on deck 8.

 

The Verdi Pizzeria isn't on the deck plans any longer and instead there is Café Corniche. Must be a new addition.

[sewgood]

You are right Azbirdmom the Verdi Pizzeria has disappeared off the plans on the Princess site.:eek: It was on the Sea Princess a couple of years ago and was the place for great pizza (thank goodness it is still on the Sun).

You have made me curious to find out what is this Cafe Corniche.

I was talking to a lady last week who had cruised to PNG and she said how hot and humid it was but it was really lovely scenery at Alotau and she was so glad so went.

[Aus Traveller]

My brochure shows Verdi Pizzeria, but (you are correct) the Princess website shows the Cafe Corniche. Maybe it is just a name change. I didn't check it out last week.:)

[Hawaiidan]

Sea Princess has the Verdi Pizzeria on deck 8. There is no International Cafe, and I haven't heard of Alfredo's. Dining is only traditional, but there is always the option of the Horizon Court or the Steakhouse.

 

 

As I am traveling light and solo, I wont be able to "dress" for dinner and plan to use the buffet or what ever they call it probably 99% No formal nights for me on this cruise.... I don't thing think I will go hungry

[azbirdmom]

As I am traveling light and solo, I wont be able to "dress" for dinner and plan to use the buffet or what ever they call it probably 99% No formal nights for me on this cruise.... I don't thing think I will go hungry

 

We're thinking that the dinner time conversation will be a notch up given the itinerary so if we go, we will definitely dine most nights in the dining room. You don't have to be formal every night - slacks and a shirt will do. We have skipped formal nights on our last couple of cruises and have gone instead to the buffet or a specialty restaurant. Will post on your roll call if we end up going - it really is an intriguing option!

[CruzinNoony]

I just emailed our TA for a quote for this cruise and the one before it. I read that we need a visa. Does anyone have more info on the visa?:rolleyes:

[azbirdmom]

The visa for this trip is a non-event. It's the usual $20 Princess tacks on to your folio for the Australian visa. On one of our other land trips to the Australia, it happened to be included in the airfare so we didn't need to pay it separately. We've actually just booked as the price was right and this sounds just like the trip that we were looking for.

[Hawaiidan]

We're thinking that the dinner time conversation will be a notch up given the itinerary so if we go, we will definitely dine most nights in the dining room. You don't have to be formal every night - slacks and a shirt will do. We have skipped formal nights on our last couple of cruises and have gone instead to the buffet or a specialty restaurant. Will post on your roll call if we end up going - it really is an intriguing option!

 

This is one of the best cost effective ways to visit the Canal.; even with paying double as a single.

.. Many cost well over 7000 for a 6 day tour that dosent hit Rabaul and Luganville. The latter of which has some great cave tubing like Belize....over and above the WW2 connection

Was going to take a Valor tour to Peileu/Iwo.... but they ran out of seats at $6800 for 7 days....from Guam!!! not LAX

[Aus Traveller]

The visa for this trip is a non-event. It's the usual $20 Princess tacks on to your folio for the Australian visa. On one of our other land trips to the Australia, it happened to be included in the airfare so we didn't need to pay it separately. We've actually just booked as the price was right and this sounds just like the trip that we were looking for.

I believe you can get the Australian visa on-line. I haven't ever had to do it :) but that is what I have heard about. There is a small fee. Passengers will also need a New Guinea visa. On our recent cruise many people didn't have one and it slowed down embarkation incredibly. You can download the form off the internet. There is no cost involved, but the form needs to be filled out before embarkation.

[Aus Traveller]

This is one of the best cost effective ways to visit the Canal.; even with paying double as a single.

.. Many cost well over 7000 for a 6 day tour that dosent hit Rabaul and Luganville. The latter of which has some great cave tubing like Belize....over and above the WW2 connection

Was going to take a Valor tour to Peileu/Iwo.... but they ran out of seats at $6800 for 7 days....from Guam!!! not LAX

Apologies to Hawaiidan. :) I originally thought you were going on the 2015 cruise, but I then noticed you are planning to go in 2016. This is a better itinerary than 2015. It includes Honiara and Luganville, although there aren't many relics from WWII to be seen in Luganville unless you scuba dive.