Coral Princess, Newcastle and Eden advice

[GUT2407]

21 hours ago, NSWP said:

Not me mate, I was not on the Vice Squad or No.21 Div Special Squad, lol.

 

I accepted free sauce on my pie though.😁

While rest of us had to pay too bloody bob and you say you mob weren’t corrupt 

[arxcards]

On 8/4/2022 at 7:46 PM, GUT2407 said:

The old tram (really a converted bus) does a pretty good tour around Newcastle, the Vineyards are always a popular tour, many enjoy a visit to Fort Scratchley, some enjoy the Cathederal, others like just wandering around the beaches.

 

I try to avoid cruising to Newcastle because some bugger will want me to work for a couple of hours.

Friends have booked on this tram for 21st August. It pays to check ahead and book, as he may not do the tour if there is no pre-interest. On 21st August, his only tour is from Queen's Wharf at noon, as he has a private booking earlier in the day.

 

To pre-plan anything on the other days, or check what times it will be running - https://famous-tram.com.au/city-tours/

 

[Hunter69]

On 8/4/2022 at 5:23 PM, arxcards said:

If it were a longer cruise, I could also jump on a Maitland train and take the dirty clothes home.

Why not let them visit our nice city..

They could get a train to East Maitland station & get off & walk the 200 meters to the Iconic Maitland Goal & then after a tour a Taxi/Uber down to old historical town of Morpeth 4-5 KMs away.. Have lunch there or great a Wonderful Pie from Blakeleys on Melbourne St.. 

Of course go on a ships excursion to the legendary Hunter Valley Vineyards..

[arxcards]

8 hours ago, Hunter69 said:

Why not let them visit our nice city..

They could get a train to East Maitland station & get off & walk the 200 meters to the Iconic Maitland Goal & then after a tour a Taxi/Uber down to old historical town of Morpeth 4-5 KMs away.. Have lunch there or great a Wonderful Pie from Blakeleys on Melbourne St.. 

Of course go on a ships excursion to the legendary Hunter Valley Vineyards..

I agree. I get the feeling that a lot of people like to do their independent stuff within the shadows of the ship though. There are usually ship tours to Morpeth and the vineyards, and the Morpeth one used to include the jail. Not sure if it still does.

 

Take a look at 100yo photos, and Maitland was always a more developed and planned town than Newcastle. Well I guess they could have planned a bit better around floods, which is a bit baffling how West Maitland managed to grow ahead of East Maitland.

 

For the "big" fans, you might have seen the big banana, but have you seen the big ugg boots?

 

For animals, I better throw in Blackbutt reserve and Oakvale. Not sure of the timing, but there are buses to Nelson Bay that go right past Oakvale.

[Aussieflyer]

On 8/7/2022 at 11:33 AM, arxcards said:

Eden is getting popular. We have just had our itinerary switched for Celebrity Edge in March 2024. Not so happy they have dropped Port Arthur to do Eden though.

I am wondering if there is something up with Port Arthur. We were notified that the guided walking ship excursions were cancelled for our late Nov cruise ('for operational reasons'). Other PA activities are off the excursion list as well.

[Aus Traveller]

26 minutes ago, Aussieflyer said:

I am wondering if there is something up with Port Arthur. We were notified that the guided walking ship excursions were cancelled for our late Nov cruise ('for operational reasons'). Other PA activities are off the excursion list as well.

My theory is that ship's excursions are not needed to visit Port Arthur. Passengers go ashore by tender, landing within the historic site. The entry fee (usually $47) is included in your cruise fare. Once ashore, passengers can take the walking tour that is available to all visitors. A quick look at the Port Arthur website doesn't show any closures and I doubt that scheduled maintenance would be in the peak summer months.

[MicCanberra]

Like everywhere they may have e a lack of guides

[Aussieflyer]

13 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Like everywhere they may have e a lack of guides

That was my first thought. 

[arxcards]

The last time we were cancelled out of Port Arthur, it was only done the day before, and there was a disagreement between Royal's Captain and Tas Ports about how far from the tender wharf they wanted the ship to anchor. He said by the time we were all disembarked, it would be time get everyone back, so they did a hot swap for an overnight in Hobart. The crew were happy, and the gangway was dinging all night. Royal was selling an updated tour, which they had to refund, then allow passengers to book a bus tour if they wanted.

 

Our next one is still over 18 months away, even though it feels like we booked it years ago. Any local issues there wouldn't be thought out that far ahead. It already has an overnight in Hobart, so anyone wanting to do PA can still book a tour, but we were looking forward to a more relaxing day via cruising in. My suspicion is the speed/fuel required to get from Hobart/PA to Sydney is a bit more expensive than when the season was launched, so why not start back a day earlier and split up the journey with a day on the NSW south coast.

[Aus Traveller]

34 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Like everywhere they may have e a lack of guides

Thanks a good thought. Quite likely.

[arxcards]

1 minute ago, Aus Traveller said:

Thanks a good thought. Quite likely.

Much foresight to know that will be short of guides in 18 months, so Celebrity is really on the ball. Could be the reason for this November for sure, and the two may be unrelated. Even if not for a shortage, they don't want to be in close contact with ship passengers full of covid??

[arxcards]

I mentioned Stockton earlier, so if you want to get a nice pic of your ship, a short ferry ride will offer this

 

[MicCanberra]

I was referring to Aussieflyer's post. As when we were there in February this year, they had a lack of staff and volunteers, numbers were being restricted and guided tours had to be booked early. Anyone showing up on the day,, may be turned away but if allowed in, would likely not be able to join a tour.

That said, while a guide is good to have, it is not necessary.

[NSWP]

1 hour ago, Aussieflyer said:

I am wondering if there is something up with Port Arthur. We were notified that the guided walking ship excursions were cancelled for our late Nov cruise ('for operational reasons'). Other PA activities are off the excursion list as well.

On Westerdam end of Nov, Port Arthur is on the itinerary. I wonder if it will remain. Oh well, I have been there before.

[GUT2407]

2 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

Like everywhere they may have e a lack of guides

They have been advertising heavily looking for guides so that may ne right.