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| A bunch of preparation took place before we actually started our trip on February 14th. Everything on this page (excluding the header at the top of the page) was done in the few weeks prior to our actual departure. I will not be updating this page after the cruise. It'll serve as a reminder of our preparation and my anticipation.... |
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 As far back as September of last year, Teresa, our aspiring travel agent, had us come over to discuss details of the trip. She always does an amazing job of researching, planning, and getting things arranged so our trips go smoothly. |
 We had to get visas for both Australia and New Zealand, something they call ETAs (Electronic Travel Authority). Both were easy to apply for (online), but I ended up with a big problem with New Zealand's (as you can see in the above image). Read about it here. |
 Princess's website is terrible. It often would show this screen (not just because you let it sit idle for a long time), and when you tried to reload it (actually closing its tab and starting from the beginning at princess.com), the same screen would pop up over and over again. We'd just have to wait a while until it could be accessed again. On many pages of the website, it suggested you use their Princess phone app for better service, and, in fact, a lot of stuff required you to use the app. Also many of the links on the website didn't work. Their crappy website made getting all the preparation done, especially booking the shore excursions, quite frustrating. |
 A few weeks or maybe a month or so after we booked and paid for our cruise, the price dropped by over $300, so this showed up on our account page. Teresa and Steve got the amount credited back to the credit card they used to pay for the cruise, but we didn't. A week before the cruise, we still didn't get the credit, so I called them and they said to just be patient, that it will be credited back. So we wait and see.... |
 We didn't realize what a great deal we got on our cruise and airline tickets (our tickets were $1726 each) until we saw this similar cruise offered by Viking Ocean Voyages. Admittedly, it's two days longer, stops at two more ports (and some different ones), and goes the other way (Auckland to Sydney, not a big deal), but I don't think that's worth more than a $4000+ per person difference. |
 Booking shore excursions was not easy. By the time we started looking, many of the excursions from Princess were already full. We got on several wait lists, and on one of them, I got booked but Mei-O didn't. So I chose not to accept the booking (by not paying for it), and couldn't get back on the waiting list, so now she's on it but I'm not. In the meantime, Teresa booked a shore excursion in Dunedin with Bookatour, one we have to pay for in cash when we get there and a Sydney Harbor Dinner Cruise tour. We apparently wouldn't be able to get everything we wanted, but we should be okay. |
 All the shore excursions' prices were quoted in local currencies (Australian or New Zealand dollars), so it was necessary to know the exchange rates. Here they are, pulled from the web on February 13th, the day before our journey began. |
 We all completed the online check in process, completing all the forms needed to expedite our check in at the terminal when we arrive on the 18th. This will also get us our "medallions" in the mail... |
 ...which will allow us to "breeze through check in" and act as our room keys (they have a chip inside). They'll also serve as our ID (especially important for getting off and on the ship at the various ports) and for use all over the ship. They came with these rather basic lanyards so we can wear them around our neck if we want. There's not much we can do with the medallions until we hit the embarkation port. Gotta remember to bring them along and keep them safe. They'll make great souvenirs. |
 I did some research into the location of our room which (hopefully) looks like this (or at least something like it). |
 Of course, the most important parts of a cruise are the sites and the culture you can sop up, but we're also going to (hopefully) experience a lot of good food. Based on previous cruise experiences, here are the four things I'm most looking forward to: lobster, of course, a super-cheesey french onion soup, a Caeser salad with anchovies (I love 'em), and escargot. And, I suppose, all the other good stuff too! (These pictures are from previous cruises.) |
 With just three days left until we depart for our Australia/New Zealand trip, we met up with Steve and Teresa to go over some final details and pick up the currencies they got for us through their bank. (Here's better look at some of the bills.) So we're all ready to go now, and we're all quite excited! (And a little nervous about that 15½ hour flight from L.A. to Sydney.) Continue to day 1 or return to Main. |
