Grand Princess Cruise Melbourne to Adelaide and return to Melbourne via Kangaroo Island and Port Lincoln 3rd-9th January 2023

We are excited to return to Cruising from Melbourne to Adelaide on the Grand Princess.

We packed late morning / early afternoon on 3rd January with Gavin due to pick us up at 1.45 pm and take us to Station Pier and we are schedumed to board from 3.30 pm but receive notification that this has been rescheduled to 4.00pm.

It is a perfect afternoon of a cloudless blue sky and a cooling breeze. Gavin drives right into the terminal area and then drops us off near the escalators to the next level where the scurity and check in areas are located. We drop off our one large case. This is totally different to the shambles which we experienced in November when we travelled on the Grand Princess to and from New Zealand. At that time we experienced a lengthy wait and delays.

This visit to Station Pier is noteworthy because we experience a near perfect arrival, transfer and check in.

We are better prepared, but there is a significantly improved administation of the check-in and security review. processes.

The check in is completed within 5 minutes and we each have our Princess Medallion. We are then walked directly to the security area, where we place our small case and Ken’s sleep machine ofor xray. This is concluded, Ken is screened and we are through and walking along the deck toward the ships’s entrance.

That whole process has taken less than 15 minutes. We are pleasantly surprised. Everything has worked beautifully. We enter the ship via Level 6 and are greeted and passed through the internal Princess security checks.

As we board Jeanette meets her hairdresser who is traveling on this cruise.

We then go directly to our mini-suite on Emerald deck E722, which we find is very near the rear of the ship. The suite considste of a bedroom and lounge area adjacent with a couch, which converts to a fold out double bed. The ship is scheduled to depart at 6.00pm but we are informed that this is now delayed until 7.00pm.

Consistent with everything to date our large case is delivered by a room steward at 4.30pm and we then unpack, we haqve plenty of strage and hanging space. We are greeted by our room steward, named Joseph, who introduces himself and retunrns with a glass of champagne.

We take photos and then prepare for dinner which os at 6.20pm in the Michelangelo Dining room. We have an enjoyable meal with 2 couples one from the Kimberley areas and the others from Melbourne. The Meal is superb and service excellent.

Following dinner we decide to go to the opening night show. It is enjoyable and we are back in our suite by 10.30pm. We are informed that there will be some rough seas as we leave Melbourne and after about 4 hours we come through the heads and we immediately experience a slight swell, but recognise from the Captain’s address that it will get rougher over the next 3-4 hours before it reduces for the next day.

We have had an enjoyable arrival and check-in, are pleased with our suite and then experienced an enjoyable dinner with interesting people.

We both sleep well, a combination in that we were tired and excited and everything has gone well.

Morning comes quickly and we rise at 7.45am and shower and dress and then go to breakfast in the dining room, where we arexseated on a table with 3 other couples. We have a good time, and enjoyable breakfast and discuss the cruise and realise some 750 people will depart the Grand Princess in Adelaide having returned from their sail across the Tasman to New Zealand (the same cruise that we dis in November).

We then go to the Princess Theatre and listen to the tour guide detail the tours for thew following day in Adelaide.

There is a morning tea which we enjoy. Then a walk through and around the ship. We have enjoyed our prior cruise with the Grand, this seems better organised and whilst there is a far stricter protocol as to the use of masks re Covid-19 it is almost unanimously adopted with very few people breaching the mandated guidlines and rules.

There are a range of activities for people throughout the afternoon.

Dinner again is at 6.20pm in the Michelangelo Dining room and we enjoy the meal.

The Princess Theatre is the scene for the nightly show and tonight we have a Sydney Comedian. He is well received. In bed by 10.25pm and we are excited as we are to catch up with Chris and Chris Ashenden in Adelaide tomorrow. It is about 15 years since we last got together.