Help Me Strategize

[pcur]

First of all this it my favorite itinerary of all after 51 years of cruising. It's the BEST.  Stay in Hawaii a few nights before the cruise, and in Australia a few nights after.

 

Secondly, expand all signatures in all threads you are asking advice from. 

[pcur]

To clarify, travel agents ARE allowed to use their business name in their signature. They cannot solicit business on Cruise Critic, or respond to an inquiry on these boards about booking a cruise. 

[Tom and Ingrid]

On 6/21/2024 at 4:45 PM, pcur said:

First of all this it my favorite itinerary of all after 51 years of cruising. It's the BEST.  Stay in Hawaii a few nights before the cruise, and in Australia a few nights after.

 

Secondly, expand all signatures in all threads you are asking advice from. 

Definitely plan to stay a bit before and after the cruise when we do it. Never been to Honolulu but know some folks there (on Oahu, at least), and we honeymooned many years ago on Kauai, so we know we like Hawaii and would have plenty to do.

 

We did a NZ cruise which started in Sydney, so that's the only place we've been in Australia. We really enjoyed our brief time there before the cruise, and I'd love to spend some more time there (and beyond).  Since it is such a PITA getting to/from Australia, we'll need to decide if it's a "just stay longer" decision point vs our usual "leave something to look forward on a return trip". 

[sofietucker]

One more small point re: using a TA: our longtime big-name TA (not big box) gives us more OBC and more goodies (wine, chockies) when we book a suite. Significantly more, sometimes... Company policy and agreement between the company and the cruise line, not a personal gift (though we get those from time to time too).

Edited June 23 by sofietucker