Live Reports - Cruising on Coral Princess September 2022.

[Tranquility Base]

Julie,

I have them…..all safe and sound.

I’ll just hold onto them for you till Monday.

 

cheers,

D.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, Tranquility Base said:

Julie,

I have them…..all safe and sound.

I’ll just hold onto them for you till Monday.

 

cheers,

D.

Thank you so much.

[Hogbay]

1 hour ago, Aus Traveller said:

Ah! That's why there was confusion about the date. By the Bay is sailing on P&O Pacific Explorer but the previous post referred to the Coral Princess that leaves Sydney today.

Arr old Dora was once a princess ! And all the kisses aren't going to bring here back . We are just past Yamba , White bay in the morning 23 rd .

[arxcards]

At least they still had their data, but it wasn't updating to their site. Back last night.

I trust everyone had a great time.

 

[MicCanberra]

9 hours ago, Tranquility Base said:

Julie,

I have them…..all safe and sound.

I’ll just hold onto them for you till Monday.

 

cheers,

D.

I feel a ransom fee may be needed, perhaps a dinner for 2 in Horizon court, window seats of course.

[MicCanberra]

7 hours ago, arxcards said:

At least they still had their data, but it wasn't updating to their site. Back last night.

I trust everyone had a great time.

 

We certainly did.

[NSWP]

Good morning Cruisers...

So Uncle Les got off Coral yesterday morning.   First on my own as a solo pax.  It worked out ok as I met up with a few familiar faces, Julie/Rolf, Mic/Rosie and a few more, thank you my friends for your support and social interaction.

 

So morning of embarkation I roll my case down down the hill from Marriott Hotel to OPT @ 10.30am. 10 minutes later they open the priority lane, I show my vacc cert, verbally attest to negative RAT, show my ID, directed to medallion lady, then on to security. Everybody says I am first on, I kid you not I am in cabin  by 10.55am. Super fast.  All staff at the OPT great.

 

I had been on Coral before, doing Alaska and Panama Canal, so knew my way around the ship.  Cabin C333 was fine, big balcony, tiny shower, but what's new?

 

I took Princess standard fare, no drink/wifi package and paid $2500 when I booked it 3 weeks ago. I got $100 military OBC, $100 speshul OBC from Princess cruise planner and got another $50 for missed ports. So the $250 OBC covered my booze. As mentioned elsewhere we got 20% of cruise fare paid back in FCC, so I got $500. Adding it all up my daily rate was about $175, fair for a solo I thought. Being Elite also got my mini bar and put in a couple of small bags of laundry.  First time I ever disembarked a ship owing nothing, lol.

 

I had done all the speshul restaurants before, so I ate at the Bordeaux and Provence MDR's plus the Horizon Court. All good, some meals better than others, had some tough fish and steak, but not too bad.  I had different table mates each night, but all good.  Drink service good, just call the waiter over and zap the medallion.  All staff I encountered were very good from Cabin Steward to Buffet/MDR staff.  Senior staff were rarely seen. I did not go to the Cocktail party, had enough of those. Took no formal clothes, so ate in Buffet on the two formal nights, as I did not want to embarrass myself or others with my casual wear. Saw the two shows, Motor City and Bayou, seen them before, they have been running for years.

 

I did no shorex but as we spent 3 days in Melbourne due to weather, I went in on the 109 bus and  looked at a few things. Penneshaw  on KI, went ashore and wandered the town. We sure did have some rough seas and rain/winds on the cruise.

 

To be truthful it was strange travelling alone, would I do it again? Not sure, I was uncomfortable and a bit lonely at times.

 

Edited September 22, 2022 by NSWP

[CRUISING ALONG]

Coral Princess in Eden this morning, 23rd September 2022.

 

Cheers 

CRUISING ALONG

[arxcards]

The downside is the loneliness, which never quite makes up for the plus of disembarking without a bill. I have done a few solo, but often at the edge of a large group booking. There are times I didn't enjoy that way, even though I still had Barb to go home to. My only plus to solo was that I could cover 3x more ground in port.

 

Glad you otherwise had a pretty good time. Yes, embarkation has got way better.

[queenslander]

On 9/23/2022 at 8:37 AM, NSWP said:

Good morning Cruisers...

So Uncle Les got off Coral yesterday morning.   First on my own as a solo pax.  It worked out ok as I met up with a few familiar faces, Julie/Rolf, Mic/Rosie and a few more, thank you my friends for your support and social interaction.

 

So morning of embarkation I roll my case down down the hill from Marriott Hotel to OPT @ 10.30am. 10 minutes later they open the priority lane, I show my vacc cert, verbally attest to negative RAT, show my ID, directed to medallion lady, then on to security. Everybody says I am first on, I kid you not I am in cabin  by 10.55am. Super fast.  All staff at the OPT great.

 

I had been on Coral before, doing Alaska and Panama Canal, so knew my way around the ship.  Cabin C333 was fine, big balcony, tiny shower, but what's new?

 

I took Princess standard fare, no drink/wifi package and paid $2500 when I booked it 3 weeks ago. I got $100 military OBC, $100 speshul OBC from Princess cruise planner and got another $50 for missed ports. So the $250 OBC covered my booze. As mentioned elsewhere we got 20% of cruise fare paid back in FCC, so I got $500. Adding it all up my daily rate was about $175, fair for a solo I thought. Being Elite also got my mini bar and put in a couple of small bags of laundry.  First time I ever disembarked a ship owing nothing, lol.

 

I had done all the speshul restaurants before, so I ate at the Bordeaux and Provence MDR's plus the Horizon Court. All good, some meals better than others, had some tough fish and steak, but not too bad.  I had different table mates each night, but all good.  Drink service good, just call the waiter over and zap the medallion.  All staff I encountered were very good from Cabin Steward to Buffet/MDR staff.  Senior staff were rarely seen. I did not go to the Cocktail party, had enough of those. Took no formal clothes, so ate in Buffet on the two formal nights, as I did not want to embarrass myself or others with my casual wear. Saw the two shows, Motor City and Bayou, seen them before, they have been running for years.

 

I did no shorex but as we spent 3 days in Melbourne due to weather, I went in on the 109 bus and  looked at a few things. Penneshaw  on KI, went ashore and wandered the town. We sure did have some rough seas and rain/winds on the cruise.

 

To be truthful it was strange travelling alone, would I do it again? Not sure, I was uncomfortable and a bit lonely at times.

 

Glad you got to meet up with friends Les! Like you I was lucky to get on the ship early when I arrived to drop my case off at 10.30.

I've been travelling solo since 2010 after my husband passed away from cancer at just 64. I know how hard that first time can be but it gets easier with time. I was lucky to be able to travel with friends the first time but then after that I travelled solo. Sometimes on cruises and other times on tours - mostly in Europe, the US and Canada but later on in Australia.

I am now only going as far as NZ in these uncertain times. It's amazing how you get used to travelling alone and you meet so many new and interesting people along the way. I love to travel so I prefer to go solo rather than stay at home! 

[ToeKnees]

25 minutes ago, queenslander said:

Glad you got to meet up with friends Les! Like you I was lucky to get on the ship early when I arrived to drop my case off at 10.30.

I've been travelling solo since 2010 after my husband passed away from cancer at just 64. I know how hard that first time can be but it gets easier with time. I was lucky to be able to travel with friends the first time but then after that I travelled solo. Sometimes on cruises and other times on tours - mostly in Europe, the US and Canada but later on in Australia.

I am now only going as far as NZ in these uncertain times. It's amazing how you get used to travelling alone and you meet so many new and interesting people along the way. I love to travel so I prefer to go solo rather than stay at home! 

Wonderful you got on early, do you mind me asking what was the first check in time on your sailing ? For our sailing first checkin starts at 12, just wondering what has been the other cruises from Sydney check in times have been, thanks

[arxcards]

4 minutes ago, ToeKnees said:

Wonderful you got on early, do you mind me asking what was the first check in time on your sailing ? For our sailing first checkin starts at 12, just wondering what has been the other cruises from Sydney check in times have been, thanks

The check-in staff assemble at 10:30am, and are usually setup and ready by 10:45 - on a normal day.

 

The Sydney sailings have been listed as first check-in at noon, as you have with yours. I presume they set it a bit later in case of any extra covid protocols to tend to. In past years it has been 11am, and you could usually get there a bit earlier to find check-in already open. Looks to be the same, as long as there are no issues with the ship.

 

[MMDown Under]

8 hours ago, queenslander said:

Glad you got to meet up with friends Les! Like you I was lucky to get on the ship early when I arrived to drop my case off at 10.30.

I've been travelling solo since 2010 after my husband passed away from cancer at just 64. I know how hard that first time can be but it gets easier with time. I was lucky to be able to travel with friends the first time but then after that I travelled solo. Sometimes on cruises and other times on tours - mostly in Europe, the US and Canada but later on in Australia.

I am now only going as far as NZ in these uncertain times. It's amazing how you get used to travelling alone and you meet so many new and interesting people along the way. I love to travel so I prefer to go solo rather than stay at home! 

I agree the bonus of travelling alone is you meet so many interesting well travelled people.  When I was young I travelled on my own by Greyhound bus on a three month bus pass throughout USA and Canada. I'm just sorry I couldn't take up all the hospitality which was offered to me.  

Yesterday I went to a brilliant cabaret at Hayes Theatre, Potts Point - "Bad Guy: Hayden Tee" - on my own. 

[Cbtours]

On 9/23/2022 at 8:37 AM, NSWP said:

Good morning Cruisers...

So Uncle Les got off Coral yesterday morning.   First on my own as a solo pax.  It worked out ok as I met up with a few familiar faces, Julie/Rolf, Mic/Rosie and a few more, thank you my friends for your support and social interaction.

 

So morning of embarkation I roll my case down down the hill from Marriott Hotel to OPT @ 10.30am. 10 minutes later they open the priority lane, I show my vacc cert, verbally attest to negative RAT, show my ID, directed to medallion lady, then on to security. Everybody says I am first on, I kid you not I am in cabin  by 10.55am. Super fast.  All staff at the OPT great.

 

I had been on Coral before, doing Alaska and Panama Canal, so knew my way around the ship.  Cabin C333 was fine, big balcony, tiny shower, but what's new?

 

I took Princess standard fare, no drink/wifi package and paid $2500 when I booked it 3 weeks ago. I got $100 military OBC, $100 speshul OBC from Princess cruise planner and got another $50 for missed ports. So the $250 OBC covered my booze. As mentioned elsewhere we got 20% of cruise fare paid back in FCC, so I got $500. Adding it all up my daily rate was about $175, fair for a solo I thought. Being Elite also got my mini bar and put in a couple of small bags of laundry.  First time I ever disembarked a ship owing nothing, lol.

 

I had done all the speshul restaurants before, so I ate at the Bordeaux and Provence MDR's plus the Horizon Court. All good, some meals better than others, had some tough fish and steak, but not too bad.  I had different table mates each night, but all good.  Drink service good, just call the waiter over and zap the medallion.  All staff I encountered were very good from Cabin Steward to Buffet/MDR staff.  Senior staff were rarely seen. I did not go to the Cocktail party, had enough of those. Took no formal clothes, so ate in Buffet on the two formal nights, as I did not want to embarrass myself or others with my casual wear. Saw the two shows, Motor City and Bayou, seen them before, they have been running for years.

 

I did no shorex but as we spent 3 days in Melbourne due to weather, I went in on the 109 bus and  looked at a few things. Penneshaw  on KI, went ashore and wandered the town. We sure did have some rough seas and rain/winds on the cruise.

 

To be truthful it was strange travelling alone, would I do it again? Not sure, I was uncomfortable and a bit lonely at times.

 

Glad the cruise went basically well, but appreciate mixed feelings re solo travel. I admire your bravery, I couldn’t do it 😩

[MMDown Under]

1 minute ago, Cbtours said:

Glad the cruise went basically well, but appreciate mixed feelings re solo travel. I admire your bravery, I couldn’t do it 😩

Whilst I'm happy to travel on my own, I'm basically shy.  There was no way I could get up and dance with those dance partners they had on ships to dance with single travellers.  And I used to adore dancing.  I also couldn't get up and speak on a microphone!

One advantage of getting older, I find people are kind to older people and happy to offer assistance.  

[Cbtours]

10 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Whilst I'm happy to travel on my own, I'm basically shy.  There was no way I could get up and dance with those dance partners they had on ships to dance with single travellers.  And I used to adore dancing.  I also couldn't get up and speak on a microphone!

One advantage of getting older, I find people are kind to older people and happy to offer assistance.  

There has to be some benefits for getting older eh lol

[MMDown Under]

Just now, Cbtours said:

There has to be some benefits for getting older eh lol

Yes $2.50 all day travel in Sydney.  Free senior travel in Adelaide.  Concession theatre tickets.  Certainly stretches the travel budget.  Too bad about all the aches and pains, which I don't remember my grandmother mentioning.

[Cbtours]

Just now, MMDown Under said:

Yes $2.50 all day travel in Sydney.  Free senior travel in Adelaide.  Concession theatre tickets.  Certainly stretches the travel budget.  Too bad about all the aches and pains, which I don't remember my grandmother mentioning.

Village gold class $20 midweek and anything on the gold class menu including drinks is half price. You just have to ask for senior price cos they don’t advertise it!

[queenslander]

9 hours ago, ToeKnees said:

Wonderful you got on early, do you mind me asking what was the first check in time on your sailing ? For our sailing first checkin starts at 12, just wondering what has been the other cruises from Sydney check in times have been, thanks

I believe the first check in was at 11.00am but mine was 12.00pm. However I was told to go ahead when I dropped my case off at 10.30am even though I told them my boarding time. In fact I was the only person in the priority lane and went through quickly. I was in my cabin before 11.00am. Normally cabins aren’t open until 1.00pm. That was on Sept 3rd BtoB with the following cruise. 

[queenslander]

1 hour ago, Cbtours said:

There has to be some benefits for getting older eh lol

There are definitely some benefits in getting older such as being free to travel any time and not just in the school holidays I had as a teacher. I am lucky to have reasonably good health at 82 and if I do get any aches and pains I don't usually talk about them! I don’t think of myself as being old and enjoy dancing to music with a good rhythm. I sometimes enjoyed dancing with other ladies on the last cruise and laughed when a younger lady told me that my moves were better than hers!😊

I think I feel more confident now than when I was younger and I don't worry too much about what people think! Even though I lost my husband and recently my only son to cancer I try to keep my positive outlook on life. I have had a good life and I count my blessings as I am one of the lucky ones who can still enjoy my travels.

[Cbtours]

5 minutes ago, queenslander said:

There are definitely some benefits in getting older such as being free to travel any time and not just in the school holidays I had as a teacher. I am lucky to have reasonably good health at 82 and if I do get any aches and pains I don't usually talk about them! I don’t think of myself as being old and enjoy dancing to music with a good rhythm. I sometimes enjoyed dancing with other ladies on the last cruise and laughed when a younger lady told me that my moves were better than hers!😊

I think I feel more confident now than when I was younger and I don't worry too much about what people think! Even though I lost my husband and recently my only son to cancer I try to keep my positive outlook on life. I have had a good life and I count my blessings as I am one of the lucky ones who can still enjoy my travels.

That’s so good to hear. And no doubt you are a blessing to all who meet you 🥰

[OzKiwiJJ]

34 minutes ago, Cbtours said:

That’s so good to hear. And no doubt you are a blessing to all who meet you 🥰

She is indeed!

[MMDown Under]

1 hour ago, Cbtours said:

Village gold class $20 midweek and anything on the gold class menu including drinks is half price. You just have to ask for senior price cos they don’t advertise it!

That is good to know.  There is a movie theatre in Brisbane and GC where you can apply to win theatre tickets.  I have won two free tickets every time.  However we always buy a drink to have at my seat in appreciation.

[MMDown Under]

14 minutes ago, queenslander said:

There are definitely some benefits in getting older such as being free to travel any time and not just in the school holidays I had as a teacher. I am lucky to have reasonably good health at 82 and if I do get any aches and pains I don't usually talk about them! I don’t think of myself as being old and enjoy dancing to music with a good rhythm. I sometimes enjoyed dancing with other ladies on the last cruise and laughed when a younger lady told me that my moves were better than hers!😊

I think I feel more confident now than when I was younger and I don't worry too much about what people think! Even though I lost my husband and recently my only son to cancer I try to keep my positive outlook on life. I have had a good life and I count my blessings as I am one of the lucky ones who can still enjoy my travels.

Sorry to hear that you lost your only son to cancer recently as well as your husband.

I was taught to count my blessings and it helps to have a positive outlook on life.  

I find older people who are still fit are the best dancers and love to watch them dance.  My girlfriend's mother used to always have to be the boy when she danced with her sisters.  They were beautiful dancers.

May you continue to cruise for many years yet.  

I'm researching travel to England for the King's Coronation next year, so have started researching cruises which will be on then.

[Aus Traveller]

20 minutes ago, queenslander said:

There are definitely some benefits in getting older such as being free to travel any time and not just in the school holidays I had as a teacher. I am lucky to have reasonably good health at 82 and if I do get any aches and pains I don't usually talk about them! I don’t think of myself as being old and enjoy dancing to music with a good rhythm. I sometimes enjoyed dancing with other ladies on the last cruise and laughed when a younger lady told me that my moves were better than hers!😊

I think I feel more confident now than when I was younger and I don't worry too much about what people think! Even though I lost my husband and recently my only son to cancer I try to keep my positive outlook on life. I have had a good life and I count my blessings as I am one of the lucky ones who can still enjoy my travels.

Congratulations on a great attitude. 🙂