CruisingOz

We have cruised from Barbados and loved it. Short flight from Miami, well coming from Australia, that leg was really short for us, haha. The pre cruise time exploring Barbados and chilling out on the beach was fantastic, with so much to see and do. We chose the sailing because of the itinerary, visiting unique islands in the Southern Caribbean. Also the ship was smaller, we were on the Grandeur, which gave us a more traditional cruise experience and the ship could visit and dock at islands which larger ships can not. As an example, in Willemstad, Curacao we docked in the harbour in town behind the swing bridge, as opposed to 25min walk away in the other cruise port when we were on the Odyssey. Personally we prefer the Southern Caribbean islands to Western and Eastern islands, and Barbados allowed us to experience more unique destinations. It is true that the airfare was higher than what we expected, so I can understand how that may factor into peoples decision, but if you have an opportunity to visit Barbados, do it.

Hello RCB Community. We are looking for suggestions as what we should see and do pre-cruise in Los Angeles. We have been to LAX airport a few times, but never had an opportunity to venture and explore LA. We are planning to join Matt on the June 2023 RCB group cruise (shameless plug) and would like to spend a few days pre cruise. I guess there is Disneyland, but how many days would be enough; not really ride people; and whether to stay on or off site? So apart from the Disney option, what are other suggestions of what we should do and also any suggestions of where to stay. It is quite an open question but if you have done an excursion which you thought was well worth doing, we would appreciate your thoughts.

If it is Jan 2023, you are sailing out of the brand new terminal in Brisbane Australia. Have not seen anything about the terminal yet, Royal will start sailing from there in November, so unsure what to expect. I have a sailing on the Quantum on the 18th Nov, so will know more about the terminal then. Suggest you watch some videos and read some blogs about the ship.

It all looks very positive and we are getting excited. We are flying in early, spending a week in Honolulu, so looking at what to do.

Looking at Port Villa, where the ship docked, the vax rates are high with 90% fully vax. Being six months before Royal is planning to sail there, rates will not be an issue.

Vanuata COVID update 15th May. It may still take time as they have harsh lockdowns with transmission levels. Latest update:The Government of Vanuatu has confirmed that community transmission of COVID-19 has been detected in Port Vila and on the island of Espiritu Santo. All provinces of Vanuatu have moved to Outbreak Alert Level 3 and are subject to daytime movement restrictions and a 6pm – 6am curfew. All non-essential businesses are closed, and there are restrictions on public gatherings. All inbound international passenger flights and all domestic travel to and from the island of Efate is suspended. International outbound travel currently remains unaffected. https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/pacific/vanuatu

This now makes sense. As there are limits on numbers in the overwater cabana and you want peace and quiet. Goodbye kids, here are your waterpark passes, see you later this afternoon at a meet up point.

We have watched it an really enjoy it. We reached out to see if there was a dvd we could buy or download through Royal, and was told that it was only to be shown on ships and not distributed. Pity

If you are going to the expense of an overwater cabana, I would suggest not wasting you money and time on the waterpark. If you really want the to do the slides, grab a cabana at the waterpark and you could alway walk over to the beach for dip later. It really is one or the other. Wife and I spent about five hours at the waterpark and so this would be a complete waste of money if we had booked the beach Club, not to mention an overwater cabana.

We always pack six magnets, even when in a suite. They are so handy go keep items off the lounge, floor, etc and handy for everyday items like hats and alike.

If all three certificates have the same offer code, then you have been given duplicates and only one offer. In the past we have been given multiple certificates with the same offer code, but the offer varied due to play during the cruise, so we just use the one with the best offering. Offers are not combinable however if you and your parter received individual offers with different offer codes, they can, in most cases be combinable. I would call Casino Royale for clarification

I was discussing this with family, and they all agreed that Royal should bring back the Voyager for a full time ship. It offers many more family friendly activities, such as water slides, and is a nice alternative to Radiance and Ovation. I love Radiance class and would also be happy with the Enchantment, but we are mid 50's and just want to chill and enjoy the cruise. If Royal wants to target the family market, without the price tag required for a Quantum class, a Voyager class ship which has been amplified would make more business sense to me.

Fingers crossed, it would be awesome. Give P&O and Carnival some competition. In the article it mentions homeport at the new Brisbane terminal. I hope it will be Sydney as the city has far more to offer visitors and access to public transport than Brisbane and if they are looking at three/four day itineraries, far more convenient.

I have done the Key, but it really is not worth the money for us. My wife does not really use the Voom, so one device is enough and being D+, we receive many benefits. There is only one tender port, Mystery Island. So the Key makes for an expensive boarding day lunch and bag storage, and if we get the Ultimate Dining package, we can eat lunch at Jamies. If you check in early, you should get an early boarding time. With the DX, we might give it a miss. That is quite expensive and we get five drinks each a day and are also Prime, so we can grab drinks from the casino on seas days and evenings. If we want more, then we will pay and that would be far cheaper than $2000+ AUD

You know you love the cricket. Great for us Australians travelling