Inaugural AFF Cruise 25 - 29 Jan 2018

[love_the_life]

Speaking of travel arrangements, when we arrive in Melbourne am I going to be able to buy a Myki card at the port?

You can buy them pretty much anywhere including many shops like their supermarkets and news agencies.

There is a convenience store at the end of the pier near where you catch the train if you want to buy a MYKI card there. Otherwise you can taxi, uber or use a ship's transfer (they sell them on board and I've used it in Melb before) into Southern Cross. I have also seen tourist MYKIs for sail at the actual pier itself (last time I think $16 for the day).

 

[straitman]

How are you meant to attach the label to the bag with a stapler, yeah always travel with one of those.

I do these days (a mini one). Maybe you could use sticky tape.

 

[straitman]

They just showed the Golden Princess on Adelaide TV. She departs here tonight as the first international cruise beginning and ending in Adelaide. Which is when we board. She looked rather nice.
.

Compared to the newer generation of cattle carriers Golden it actually an impressive looking ship.

 

[Pushka]

There is a convenience store at the end of the pier near where you catch the train if you want to buy a MYKI card there. Otherwise you can taxi, uber or use a ship's transfer (they sell them on board and I've used it in Melb before) into Southern Cross. I have also seen tourist MYKIs for sail at the actual pier itself (last time I think $16 for the day).

Mum and I booked the Princess Bus into Tullamarine perhaps three years ago. They refused to drop off on the usual departures bridge but dropped us off a long way from the terminal. They said to mum who was around 85 - to get a wheelchair. From where exactly? We were nowhere near the terminal, it was hot, no seating that I could see to leave mum. So we trudged a long way in the heat and with luggage. I was so angry. Mum was very breathless by the time we arrived into a help area.

I used to love Zumba. A lot of fun as the instructors were South American and totally full on. Dripping with sweat.

 

[love_the_life]

Mum and I booked the Princess Bus into Tullamarine perhaps three years ago. They refused to drop off on the usual departures bridge but dropped us off a long way from the terminal. They said to mum who was around 85 - to get a wheelchair. From where exactly? We were nowhere near the terminal, it was hot, no seating that I could see to leave mum. So we trudged a long way in the heat and with luggage. I was so angry. Mum was very breathless by the time we arrived into a help area.

I used to love Zumba. A lot of fun as the instructors were South American and totally full on. Dripping with sweat.

I’ve never booked a transfer to the airport in Melb only into Southern Cross which worked ok. Always done a taxi if I need to fly out.
Was Zumba on Princess? I thought it was an X offering but there you go.

 

[love_the_life]

There is a convenience store at the end of the pier near where you catch the train if you want to buy a MYKI card there. Otherwise you can taxi, uber or use a ship's transfer (they sell them on board and I've used it in Melb before) into Southern Cross. I have also seen tourist MYKIs for sail at the actual pier itself (last time I think $16 for the day).

Pardon the unintentional pun. It is of course ‘for sale’.

 

[Pushka]

Pardon the unintentional pun. It is of course ‘for sale’.

And I didn’t pick that up!

On Princess Zumba is (was) free. X charges.

 

[Pushka]

Adelaide’s first luxury international round-trip cruise sets sail No Cookies | The Advertiser

Small things excite us in SA

 

[straitman]

Adelaide’s first luxury international round-trip cruise sets sail No Cookies | The Advertiser

Small things excite us in SA

Hmmmm.

It looks to me to be a little poetic licence here. (Time will tell)

The photo of The Sanctuary doesn't match either of our memories of the one on Golden Princess. Also Captain Aldo Treverso was captain of Sea Princess only a couple of months ago. We got off Sea Princess on 19th September and Captain Aldo was still on board it then after completing its 2017 around the world cruise. If anything I would expect him to currently be on leave.

I actually hope he is the Captain as he runs a good ship and is well liked. Sue asked him how he got to be a Captain at such a (apparently) young age and his answer was 'by eating lots of Spaghetti'

I notice the article also says the ship will be in Adelaide in March. The stop in March is a transit when it's enroute Melbourne to Singapore (for 2 weeks dry dock) and then on to Vancouver and Alaska.

 

[Pushka]

Hmmmm.

It looks to me to be a little poetic licence here. (Time will tell)

The photo of The Sanctuary doesn't match either of our memories of the one on Golden Princess. Also Captain Aldo Treverso was captain of Sea Princess only a couple of months ago. We got off Sea Princess on 19th September and Captain Aldo was still on board it then after completing its 2017 around the world cruise. If anything I would expect him to currently be on leave.

I actually hope he is the Captain as he runs a good ship and is well liked. Sue asked him how he got to be a Captain at such a (apparently) young age and his answer was 'by eating lots of Spaghetti'

I notice the article also says the ship will be in Adelaide in March. The stop in March is a transit when it's enroute Melbourne to Singapore (for 2 weeks dry dock) and then on to Vancouver and Alaska.

It also isn’t the first time a ship has done a round trip from Adelaide. QM2 did this in 2012 when circumnavigating Australia.

 

[straitman]

Not long now.

 

[Pushka]

View attachment 114826 Not long now.

And very pleased it isn’t today. Today not too bad but going to be hot @38 then northerly winds then rain tomorrow and cool on Sat and Sun.

 

[penegal]

‘Like’ doesn’t mean I’m happy you can’t gatecrash . actually, I think after 4 nights I’d need a liver transplant from recent reports

That doesn't sound like the penegal I know!

I am still on my first liver.

Replacements are in short supply. With the growing obesity epidemic in "rich" countries, paired with alcohol consumption, liver disease is quietly on the rise.

 

[penegal]

Speaking of travel arrangements, when we arrive in Melbourne am I going to be able to buy a Myki card at the port?

There is a convenience store at the end of the pier near where you catch the train if you want to buy a MYKI card there. Otherwise you can taxi, uber or use a ship's transfer (they sell them on board and I've used it in Melb before) into Southern Cross. I have also seen tourist MYKIs for sail at the actual pier itself (last time I think $16 for the day).

I can post you one if you want. I have about a dozen Mykis because I am very good at leaving them at home, so need to buy a new one, thus quadrupling the cost of the fare.

$16 is a $6 card fee plus a $10 load (which may be the minimum - @serfty ?).

 

[Pushka]

Does Princess allow self disembark? Qantas flights to ADL are a bit rank, and wondering if 11.30am is ok. I’m thinking HLO and (shared) taxi to airport. Next flight is 2.30pm.

 

[straitman]

Does Princess allow self disembark? Qantas flights to ADL are a bit rank, and wondering if 11.30am is ok. I’m thinking HLO and (shared) taxi to airport. Next flight is 2.30pm.

That should be fine from my experience.

We caught an International flight at 1215 in SYD after getting off Ovation of the Seas. We had heaps of time.

I have the disembarkation paperwork from another Princess cruise on my desk at home. I’ll check it when I get there and report back.

 

[Pushka]

A quick search on the Princess Boards on CC suggests that staggered boarding is pretty much ignored by people but status is enforced and general boarding starts once the waiting Platinums and Elites are boarded. Then on later arrivals higher status passengers are simply processed in a shorter queue. This equates to what we saw last trip in December 12 months ago. Given Golden hit Melbourne before Adelaide then immigration is already done. So can’t see why they won’t be disembarking people at the normal time around 7am.

Re flight from Mel to Adelaide. A price check on Princess website gives me that option @11.30 plus ‘late protection’ and is $10 cheaper than on Qantas website. Booked.

 

[straitman]

That should be fine from my experience.

We caught an International flight at 1215 in SYD after getting off Ovation of the Seas. We had heaps of time.

I have the disembarkation paperwork from another Princess cruise on my desk at home. I’ll check it when I get there and report back.

Pushka,

It seems my memory is still working OK. Disembarkation paperwork for Golden Princess into Sydney. Customs & Immigration was done in Darwin so a similar situation. Ship was due to berth at 0700 and the meeting time for those with independent arrangements was 0730 with actual disembarkation only slightly later than that. We are due in Melbourne at 0600.

ie You should be fine IMHO.

 

[Pushka]

Pushka,

It seems my memory is still working OK. Disembarkation paperwork for Golden Princess into Sydney. Customs & Immigration was done in Darwin so a similar situation. Ship was due to berth at 0700 and the meeting time for those with independent arrangements was 0730 with actual disembarkation only slightly later than that. We are due in Melbourne at 0600.

ie You should be fine IMHO.

Thankyou for going to that bother for me

 

[JessicaTam]

Is there a particular “check-out” time?