NEWS UPDATE: Disney Announces AUS Prices, Sun Princess Updates, End of Masks for NSW and more!

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 Video thumbnail photo by Joeri Mombers on Unsplash This week, images surfaced showing Luminosa painted in Carnival’s colours, complete with her unique funnel design. Unique in that it isn’t the classic Carnival whale tail. She was also officially registered with the Bahamas Maritime Authority, meaning that she is one step closer to her Australian arrival. As well as Carnival exterior branding, the ship will sport a few classic Carnival features when she arrives down under, such as the Red Frog Pub, Alchemy Bar and adults only Serenity zone. Luminosa is scheduled to arrive in Brisbane on October 30th. Royal Caribbean’s high speed Starlink service continues to be deployed to its fleet of ships, with Independence of the Seas now offering the faster internet service to its guests. As reported on the Royal Caribbean blog website, so far, pricing for the speedy internet service remains the same and Royal Caribbean haven’t confirmed if there will be any changes to the cost of internet once the upgrades are complete. The technology is continuing to be rolled out to all of the ships within the Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Silversea fleets and the updates should be complete next year. Thanks to Warren for alerting me to this change - this week, NSW announced the end of its mask requirement for users of public transport. Passengers will no longer be required to don a mask while onboard any of the state’s public transport services, and according to the government statement, this extends to the indoor areas of cruise terminals. As of now, cruise lines haven’t changed their approach to masks, insisting that they should be worn indoors where physical distancing isn’t possible. Disney Cruise Lines are preparing for the on sale date of their debut Australian season. Officially on sale to the general public from September 29th, the cruise line has finally announced pricing for its advertised itineraries. In line with the unique Disney experience, there was a general expectation that pricing would be on the higher side, and that seems to have been confirmed. A family of 4 choosing a verandah stateroom will pay just under $3400 for a 2 night roundtrip cruise sailing from Melbourne. That same family of 4 will pay around $4820 for a 2 night roundtrip cruise from Sydney in the same verandah stateroom, or between $11 and $12,000 for the 6 night round trip cruise to Noumea. Pricing doesn’t include optional gratuities which are charged to your onboard account and cost an additional $29USD per guest, per day. Ultimately, the concept of value is all relative and I’m sure many people will love being able to enjoy the Disney experience so close to home for the first time in history. From October 1st, Western Australia will permit vessels carrying more than 350 guests to return to their ports. Coral Princess will mark the official return of large scale cruising to the state during its Australia circumnavigation cruise, when she visits Kuri Bay on October 23rd. It was only last week that the medallion class equipped ship broke Melbourne’s cruising dry spell, when she became the first ship to dock in the coffee-loving city since the end of the national cruise ban. Princess have confirmed that their brand new Sphere Class ship, the Sun Princess, will launch with some longed for upgrades. Many of you would know that traditionally speaking, Princess’ standard staterooms have been on the smaller side when compared to those on newer ships from competitor lines such as Royal Caribbean. Now though, all oceanview and balcony staterooms will sport a double sofa bed, providing more options for higher occupancy configurations and just more space to enjoy. Even interior rooms will now offer a small love seat. Plus, gone is the dreaded shower curtain, instead replaced with a glass shower door. The traditional Princess walk in style wardrobe has also been eliminated from standard cabins, replaced with built in wardrobes at the entrance to each stateroom. Thanks for watching, and see you soon!