Tue 0224 - embarkation

Embarkation day - at last!!!
We arrived at the port at approximately 11:30 and I was surprised to see so many people there already. The dox said boarding would begin at 3:30 and we would sail at 6:30. They also said you must be on board at least 2 hours prior to sailing. That left a one hour window during which 2000+ people were to board. Not likely. I guess I'm not the only one to figure out that their timetable was unrealistic. None-the- less, we were seated in the Windjammer by around 12:15. There was no announcement at 1pm advising that cabins were available, but we found that the doors were had been opened. We probably had our luggage by 3-3:30pm. So far, so good.
Reading the welcome aboard dox, I found a few surprises. One thing (actually no surprise if you think about it) was the price of the soda card - $117.30 for the entire trip. It's the same old $6/day plus 15% but what a high total!
Then I discovered info about the shuttle in some ports. Brisbane $8 one way - Cairns $7 - Broome $7 - Exmouth $5 - unlimited use $47per person. This could have been useful to know in advance. That's why some people have scouting parties.
Then, the bad news. There are shore excursions for Papua New Guinea after all. Let me review the history of this disappointment.
There were no shorex listed for PNG long after there were excursions listed for the other ports.
I sent an email to RCCL's Shorex Department and was advised that there would be no excursions. I was also advised that the ship was required to get visas for all people in the PNG waters, whether they got off the ship or not. The cost was estimated as under $50US and would be added to the shipboard account.
After much consideration, I finally agreed to a private tour arranged by an Aussie on CruiseCritic. She was using a company that deals exclusively with PNG tours. That company has an office in Sydney, where we paid for our reservations. We were booked as a group of 12, in a van for 7+ hours sightseeing including lunch. The price is $155AUD which comes to about $98 US.
PNG has been the subject of US State Department warnings cautioning tourists about the safety issues there, but their advisories have moderated in recent months. All advisories cautioned about travelling alone, without a local guide.
We are booked with a local guide and have been cautioned not to stand out - to try to blend in. As if our skin color, style of dress, and cameras draped around our necks make us look like locals
Overall my concern was that RCCL would be pushing their own tours in the previous and following ports - claiming that only their drivers, etc, have been checked for proper licensing, etc. They’re saying we'll get to PNG and it's "goodbye and good luck." Frankly, I couldn't forget the Millennium tragedy in South America an few years ago.
When it comes to RCCL and PNG, I'm not a happy camper.
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Both sailing and first sitting dinner were at 6:30. Service was slow but attentive. The table was pre-arranged for 6 people, 3 of whom were CruiseCritic posters. Before we realized it, it was 8:30. The 8pm show was completely overlooked, and probably would have been too difficult even if we had planned on attending.