NEWS UPDATE: Starlink Internet for Aussie Ships, Encounter Engine Issue and Higher Cruise Prices!

Join my private Facebook group for cruise deals, tips and advice - the more members we have, the better we’ll get! www.facebook.com/groups/CTGdeals Follow me on Facebook and Instagram: www.facebook.com/thecruiseandtravelguy www.instragram.com/thecruiseandtravelguy Support the channel with a slogan tee: https://thecruiseandtravelguy.myshopify.com Head to my website for great cruise and travel deals: www.thecruiseandtravelguy.com.au Brisbane Cruise Terminal has been in the news over the past few weeks, with calls to revamp the surrounding areas because they are quote, “ugly”. The new terminal facility is located within an industrial district with various logistics centres and a water treatment plant. The new terminal is capable of attracting the world’s largest cruise ships, and with them, an international clientele who no doubt would compare Sydney’s spectacular harbour setting to Brisbane River. With limited access to the Brisbane CBD, there have also been demands for a ferry service to be instated that would allow for easy passenger transport to the city centre, via the river. Expect the price of cruising to rise this year. That’s the message from Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International and Carnival Corporation - which, among others, owns P&O Australia, Princess, Holland America, Seabourn, Cunard and Carnival. They have made it clear that prices will begin to increase as the companies seek a return to healthy bank-balances. During the industry shutdown, prices were in many cases slashed in order to help return ships to capacity. At the same time, Carnival Corporation in particular, removed older and less efficient ships from its cruise line’s fleets. Now, with newer ships plying the world’s oceans, there are more opportunities for revenue streams with additional cost extras in the form of specialised onboard experiences. Plus, with more balcony cabins and junior-style suites than ever, lines can charge more people, more money to stay in higher end accommodation. Carnival Corporation is the next major cruise conglomerate to sign a deal with Starlink - the internet service will be deployed across all of the companies ships including those of local line P&O Australia. The roll-out should see a more reliable and faster internet connection made available to cruisers all over the world, although based on reports, there are still patches of the world’s oceans that aren’t well-covered by the satellite internet service. I myself got to experience Starlink internet onboard Celebrity Eclipse and found the premium internet offering was slower than Royal Caribbean’s older VOOM service. I don’t know if that was early teething issues, but based on other reports, the service should eventually at least, lead to a much more connected shipboard experience for those of us that need to remain online. Pacific Encounter is reportedly limping back to Brisbane after suffering some kind of technical malfunction. According to guests onboard, the ship bypassed both Noumea and Port Vila and made an unscheduled stop at Mystery Island before setting course for Brisbane. The ship will arrive later than originally scheduled tomorrow, January 21st, and as a result guests on the next cruise departing that same day have been asked to arrive at the terminal two hours later than their pre-booked check in slot. Check in for that cruise will now close at 5pm. As reported by Royal Caribbean Blog, Royal Caribbean’s brand new dinner menu service will roll out to all of its ships by next month. The new, simplified dinner menu will see the Classic options removed entirely. Instead, each nightly dinner menu will reflect a particular cuisine such as Mediterranean. The cruise line has cited passenger feedback as its main motivation, claiming that dinner services were notoriously lengthy. The new menus aim to have guests in and out of the main dining room within 75 minutes as opposed to 2 hours or more. The cynic in me thinks this has at least something to do with reducing costs, and I’m quite sure that played a role in the new menu design. Thanks for watching!