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In a fantastic development for cruising in our region, this week the NZ government finally confirmed that their Maritime borders will reopen to cruise ships from August 1st. As we broadly expected, the end of the NZ cruise ban comes in the wake of the Australian cruise revival, and this means that voyages planned for our spring and summer cruise season will be able to sail to the country as planned. Hundreds if not thousands, of suppliers and tourism operators now have the opportunity to rebuild their businesses after more than 2 and a half years of bans. I know a couple of you have been intently waiting for this news, so I am incredibly glad to be able to share it. With our friends across the ditch now able to look forward to cruising’s return, it makes the restart in Australia that much sweeter.
P&O clarified its approach to back to back cruises in a message to agents this week, stating that passengers embarking on a back to back voyage with the cruise line, will need to disembark at the end of their first cruise and have a covid test administered in the terminal. Assuming the result is negative, the passenger will be permitted to re-board for the second cruise. The guest’s luggage can remain onboard whilst this process is completed.
P&O also shared that its chefs are hard at work crafting new menus and food choices for their upcoming return to service. Crew members have been tasked with the enviable job of sampling the new creations, which guests will soon be enjoying across the Pacific Explorer’s included dining venues, being The Pantry, The Waterfront, Angelo’s Italian and Dragon Lady.
Adding to the excitement of the Aussie cruise restart, Coral Princess is finally on the move towards her new home port of Brisbane. She set sail from Port Everglades on May 9th and will soon transit through the locks of the Panama Canal. Although her first passenger cruise from Australia is scheduled for June 16th, she is reportedly set to arrive at Brisbane’s brand new International Cruise Terminal days earlier on June 7th. No doubt, the extra time in port will allow her to be readied for an eager Australian public.
Princess Cruises have been widely praised for their multi tiered fare structure since introducing it as a permanent fixture in 2020. Up until now, for $40 extra per day, a passenger would enjoy the addition of the Premier Drinks package and unlimited wifi – both hot commodities in the modern cruise market. Well, Princess have just announced a third option – Princess Premier. The new fare ups the ante and offers guests unlimited wifi for up to 4 devices per passenger, an upgraded Premier Drinks package covering drinks up to $22, digital downloads of all photos taken onboard as well as three prints, two meals in a specialty dining venue and tips. The new package cost is $85 per day. Princess Plus will also increase in cost from $40 to $50 per day, and the Princess Saver fare has been renamed the Princess Standard fare. The Premier fare will go on sale from June 1st for cruises departing from June 25th. Princess Plus can still be purchased for $40 per day at the moment, before the price rise comes in to effect. Guests will also be able to upgrade their Standard or Plus fares to Premier prior to their cruise by contacting their travel agent or Princess directly.
And in one of the more unusual but strangely exciting additions, the cruise line is launching Princess Prizes. The new feature gives guests the chance to win prizes onboard by way of a pseudo lucky door prize. Passengers can win prizes ranging from $100,000 in cash to a cruise for two every year for the next decade. There will also be onboard credits, dinners and other cash prizes up for grabs. How do you enter? Princess Prizes is included for guests booked onto the new Premier fare, and will cost everyone else $20 per cabin per day to play. It’s open only to guests 18 and over. How exactly do you win? Well, you go to your room. Approach your stateroom, and your door will unlock as normal – but if you’re lucky, the welcome screen outside your stateroom will display your prize. The innovative feature is definitely a talking point and a use of the medallion technology that I’m fairly confident no one saw coming.
Let me know in the comments, would you pay the extra $20 per day for a chance to win a prize?
Thanks for watching!