Australia/NZ Cruises

[Agent 86]

I can do a short trip report when I get back if you would like?

Yes please!

Screenshots of the daily Navigator activities would be especially valuable for pre-planning!

 

[Agent 86]

Ariel, Cinderella, Tiana, Belle, Rapunzel

Ooh Rapunzel! That's going to make my daughter very happy.

 

[Lesverts]

I booked the Melbourne to Auckland cruise. Now having a heck of a time trying to do online check-in. It won't accept Christchurch as a departing airport for the arrival flight into Melbourne. Won't accept my flight to Los Angeles as valid from Auckland after the cruise. Can I phone?

 

[PlutoDisney]

I booked the Melbourne to Auckland cruise. Now having a heck of a time trying to do online check-in. It won't accept Christchurch as a departing airport for the arrival flight into Melbourne. Won't accept my flight to Los Angeles as valid from Auckland after the cruise. Can I phone?

We struggled with our online check in for our Alaska cruise as the system is not set up for people changing time zones. We ended up not entering our actual travel details and just saying we weren't flying in and coming to and from home address. It was only way to move past that section.

 

[rainbowredpanda]

Yes please!

Screenshots of the daily Navigator activities would be especially valuable for pre-planning!

Yes, I can do that.

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

Yes, I can do that.

Thank you!!

 

[Lesverts]

We struggled with our online check in for our Alaska cruise as the system is not set up for people changing time zones. We ended up not entering our actual travel details and just saying we weren't flying in and coming to and from home address. It was only way to move past that section.

I looked up a FAQ sheet on a travel agents website and it said to do something like that. I just entered the hotel information for where I am staying in Auckland before the flight home. Was super annoying though.

 

[Mommb]

I looked up a FAQ sheet on a travel agents website and it said to do something like that. I just entered the hotel information for where I am staying in Auckland before the flight home. Was super annoying though.

If you are staying at a hotel before flying home, DCL doesn’t need to know your departing flight information anyhow.

The only reason they might need arrival information (if you’re not using DCL transportation) is that if your flight is significantly delayed, they will know why you haven’t arrived at the port. There is no harm in saying you’re driving so you can finish check-in, then updating with actual flight information, if you can, before the cruise.

 

[Lesverts]

I am flying in days ahead of time. Why be all the way down in Melbourne to catch a cruise without experiencing the city a bit and going to see the MCG.

 

[Flea]

I wonder if it is going to be USD or AUD/NZD onboard.

It's USD plus GST (our TAX) for the domestic cruises - the cruises that go international (I think there is only 4) are the only ones tax exempt.

 

[Flea]

The Wonder has not yet arrived in Australia/New Zealand yet. She is currently heading to Noumea then will arrive in Sydney, Australia on 27th October. The first of the Aus/NZ cruises then leaves Sydney on 28th October.


These are definitely the first cruise from Australia/New Zealand. We have waited for this for such a long time.


Everything on board will be charged in USD but costs more due to the addition of GST.

I should have read the whole thread before answering - you have all the answers lol.

 

[DisneyConvert]

The Wonder has not yet arrived in Australia/New Zealand yet. She is currently heading to Noumea then will arrive in Sydney, Australia on 27th October. The first of the Aus/NZ cruises then leaves Sydney on 28th October.


These are definitely the first cruise from Australia/New Zealand. We have waited for this for such a long time.


Everything on board will be charged in USD but costs more due to the addition of GST.

Contracts with Crew and Vendors are set in $US's, so this makes sense.

 

[Halfbrit]

This is the first time Disney has been Down Under. I will be there on the first sailing which leaves on Saturday. I can do a short trip report when I get back if you would like?

Please do. I haven’t been on the Wonder so I’m keen to hear about it. My cruise is in January. Counting the days...

 

[Halfbrit]

It's USD plus GST (our TAX) for the domestic cruises - the cruises that go international (I think there is only 4) are the only ones tax exempt.

I plan on buying some souvenirs on board. Good to know about the GST. Fortunately I’ll be on an international sailing so will avoid GST.

 

[Halfbrit]

I’m also onboard the Wonder heading to Sydney!

Everyone’s perspective will be a bit different on the offerings (we’re not really into characters so I only know what I see in passing) but the entertainment team has worked hard to fill the days (9 sea days!).

The usual bingo, karaoke, movies, etc are there, along with tons and tons of trivia (easily 6-8 games a day, with very little repeats), crafts, and learning how to draw (using the videos but the Entertainment team is there to help guide everyone along). They also created new game shows just for this cruise, but I can’t speak much about those since I only caught a couple by accident while we were waiting for the next event (we are more trivia/crafts people).

We didn’t do any meet and greets with the characters, but off the top of my head they’ve had the Fab 5 plus Daisy, the chipmunks, Hook & Smee, Stitch, and various princesses (Ariel, Cinderella, Tiana, Belle, Rapunzel). There’s also an Encanto party in D Lounge where you can meet Mirabel and Bruno, but I think they were scheduled somewhere else at least once. We were supposed to have Captain Jack for pirate night but he got removed from the schedule last minute. But also they last minute added Thor and Spider-Man for today (after last-night’s Marvel show) and there’s a new Star Wars character greet that popped up for tomorrow but I don’t know what it is.

Last night we got a soft open sneak peak of the new Marvel show they’ll be doing and it seemed to go over really well! I heard a few people say they liked it better than Pirate night. I only saw a dress rehearsal without all the effects earlier in the cruise — I was too tired after dinner last night to stay up and watch the full deck party. I’m not sure how many Aus/NZ sailings that show will be on, though.

We did have pirate night, of course. And they also had special events and a countdown party for the day we crossed the equator. Nothing for the International Date Line beyond some time change confusion, lol.

The special guest is a National Geographic photographer who is from Australia. He’s been giving lectures during sea days on places he’s traveled, with emphasis on Australia and Polynesia, as well as photography tips. The other guest is a chef doing the Anyone Can Cook series. I haven’t attended any of the cooking shows but they are super popular and fill up quickly.

The 3 big shows are the same: Golden Mickeys, Frozen, and Disney Dreams. They’ve also supplemented with various musicians, magicians, a juggler, and one night they had the new Haunted Mansion as the main event in the WDT. Tonight is the crew talent show which we only get to see on long crossings so I’m excited for that!

I’m not sure if this is also just for the longer sailings (especially ones where there are generally fewer kids), but a few times they’ve opened up the kids club to only adults after 10pm so we can play around and do a craft. My family used to love to make flubber but now it’s apparently Stich’s space goo! Tells you how long it’s been since we last sailed, lol.

I’m sure there’s other things I’ve missed just because they weren’t on my radar. But it’s hard to be bored when there is so much going on (not to mention just good old-fashioned relaxing!).

Thanks. This is a really informative and helpful post. Did you by chance wander around the town whilst in Noumea? My cruise will be going there and I’m keen to hear about it as we’re thinking about just doing our own thing there rather than any of the organised activities.

 

[KDG]

We booked the green tram train in Noumea, operated by Lyvai (pronounced like the jeans Levi) It was an excellent ride around the city that lasted about 90 minutes. From the cruise dock, take a free shuttle to the nearby passenger cruise terminal. It is just a 5 minute ride. The Wonder has to dock in a commercial area so all departing passengers must be safely transported to a different area. The shuttles were lined up on the dock and were quick and plentiful.

The passenger terminal is very nice with restrooms, a help desk and, upstairs, there is a large local craft show.

You can book the little green train for about half the price of the Disney excursion on the yellow train. You can book a reservation ahead of time on their website or just find their tent at the passenger terminal and pay for your tickets there.

After the train returns, you’ll have time to walk around the area for some shopping or exploring if you wish before returning to the ship.

Some passengers who booked excursions through Disney for the “highlights“ or aquarium boarded their excursions right at the ship and were returned there so didn’t have any time for exploring or shopping. They were disappointed they didn’t have any personal time there.

We found Noumea to be a delightful city. Our ashore time was slightly unconventional- 12:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Most passengers were back on board before their scheduled dinner time, however. When you visit, the all ashore time may be different.

 

[Halfbrit]

We booked the green tram train in Noumea, operated by Lyvai (pronounced like the jeans Levi) It was an excellent ride around the city that lasted about 90 minutes. From the cruise dock, take a free shuttle to the nearby passenger cruise terminal. It is just a 5 minute ride. The Wonder has to dock in a commercial area so all departing passengers must be safely transported to a different area. The shuttles were lined up on the dock and were quick and plentiful.

The passenger terminal is very nice with restrooms, a help desk and, upstairs, there is a large local craft show.

You can book the little green train for about half the price of the Disney excursion on the yellow train. You can book a reservation ahead of time on their website or just find their tent at the passenger terminal and pay for your tickets there.

After the train returns, you’ll have time to walk around the area for some shopping or exploring if you wish before returning to the ship.

Some passengers who booked excursions through Disney for the “highlights“ or aquarium boarded their excursions right at the ship and were returned there so didn’t have any time for exploring or shopping. They were disappointed they didn’t have any personal time there.

We found Noumea to be a delightful city. Our ashore time was slightly unconventional- 12:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Most passengers were back on board before their scheduled dinner time, however. When you visit, the all ashore time may be different.

Thanks. That's really helpful.

 

[rainbowredpanda]

Thanks. That's really helpful.

Wrong thread. Sorry

 

[DisneyConvert]

Just got off the Wonder in Vancouver.

It appears that many new-to-DCL? passengers in Australia were not familiar with the custom/requirements of tipping on (American) cruises.

Over multiple cruises, those ignorant (cheap)? chose to delete their standard tips and simply accepted services from their Cabin Stewards and Servers without compensating them. Almost half of passengers == $0 gratuities?

Rumor corroborated by many Stewards and Servers. Many simply quit as DCL management hasn't done anything.

Not good at all.

 

[Mags2002]

Just got off the Wonder in Vancouver.

It appears that many new-to-DCL? passengers in Australia were not familiar with the custom/requirements of tipping on (American) cruises.

Over multiple cruises, those ignorant (cheap)? chose to delete their standard tips and simply accepted services from their Cabin Stewards and Servers without compensating them. Almost half of passengers == $0 gratuities?

Rumor corroborated by many Stewards and Servers. Many simply quit as DCL management hasn't done anything.

Not good at all.

I have heard the same from so many people I know. They are saying that Guests did not tip anything at all, therefore their wages were waayyyy down for many months. Most of them said they will not work another Australia season and yes some quit.
Management can’t do anything about it really unless they make tipping compulsory next season? But I doubt Australians would accept that either