NEWS UPDATE: P&O is home! What are the health protocols going to be? The new drinks package rip-off!

Watch Pacific Explorer come home here: https://youtu.be/H5H59da27yU 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 Head to my website for great cruise and travel deals: www.thecruiseandtravelguy.com.au The big news this week of course, is that the Australian cruise ban has finally come to an end. Initiated in March 2020, the ban officially ended on Easter Sunday, April 17th. Wasting not even a day, P&O arranged for their flagship Pacific Explorer to sail into Sydney harbour on the Easter Monday public holiday. To say that this was a spectacle I’ll remember for the rest of my life is even an understatement. Sydney could not have put on a better day for the occasion, and the sun shone brightly as the glistening Explorer made her way through the harbour entrance. The NSW Port Authority marked the welcome with a water cannon salute, courtesy of several tug boats. Helicopters buzzed in the skies, and a collection of private and charter vessels escorted the ship to her rightful place at Sydney’s Overseas Passenger Terminal. The crowded harbour and foreshore made it clear just how much Australians have massed cruising - the emotion was palpable and wherever I looked, people were just so excited to see a ship once again present in our harbour. I captured the morning with a live feed on my Facebook page and if you joined me that day, I say thanks - because that was possibly the most fun I’ve had in a couple of years. If you have somehow missed my video of Explorer coming into the harbour, I’ve added a link to it in the description below. Explorer remained at Sydney’s OPT for the night, departing the next morning at around 10:30 but fear not, she only moved to a more permanent berthing location at Sydney’s White Bay. Based on what I’ve heard, she will remain there until her first scheduled cruise departure on May 31st. In the meantime, it’s expected that she will be provisioned and properly prepared to resume passenger cruises. If you’re interested in seeing Pacific Explorer up close, I recommend you head to Pirrama Park in Pyrmont, where you’ll enjoy great views across the bay and over to Explorer. In line with P&O’s imminent return to service, the cruise line has launched a new app. Available on both the App Store and Google Play, the app allows you to check your reservation and produce your cruise tickets, plus once onboard you can check the daily program and utilise the wifi connection to chat with your travel mates free of charge. The app will incorporate a digital cruise card for contactless payments, and even allow you to order a barista made coffee, make dining and spa reservations and more. You can also see the deck plans to help you find your way around once onboard. P&O promise the app will be further developed with more functionality added soon. As mask requirements in the US all but disappear, and as we approach similar levels of “living with the virus” here in Australia with close contacts of confirmed cases no longer needing to self isolate in several states, the question becomes - what will the onboard experience be like? We likely won’t have to wait much longer - last week I spotted a video on the Princess Australia YouTube channel titled “Princess Return to Service Health Protocols”. Scheduled to be a live video, it looks like we’ll finally have a clearer idea of what exactly will be required in order to cruise and what the onboard experience will be like. I imagine P&O will be announcing their protocols no later than the 28th as well. Stay tuned. Cover More have officially released their updated travel insurance products, with a cruise add on that now includes COVID specific coverage. Head to their website for more information and to read their PDS. Some of the benefits of a drink package are being able to try cocktails or drinks you might otherwise not plus the elimination of bill shock come the end of the voyage. Unlike other cruise lines, Royal Caribbean doesn’t offer a set fee for its packages. The costs can vary from sailing-sailing based on a number of factors. Some cruisers booked on departures early next year have reported that the line is charging upwards of $143 per day for the deluxe drink package. For a couple on a 10 day cruise, that could add almost $3000 to your holiday bill. Despite the high prices at the moment, Royal Caribbean holds sales throughout the year. The biggest discounts are usually found around Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales at the end of the year, but they occur at other times as well. Keep an eye on your cruise planner, even after you’ve made a pre-cruise purchase, as you can cancel and rebook packages at the lower rates if you spot a price reduction. Do you purchase a drinks package when you cruise? Let me know in the comments below.