Phillo
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Posts posted by Phillo
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38 minutes ago, Vanessa77 said:
No need to think about it, the press release says specifically that it will be different from Coco-Cay:
I do however hope that they keep the dual elements of 'Chill" & 'Thrill' when developing Lelepa. I like to option to do both, and commercially this diversifies the customer base the island will appeal to.
Agreed.
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Firstly... the discussion on "Cay". I would have thought it was a derivation on the English "Quay" (pronounced - "key").
As for Lelepa, I wouldnt think it would be an exact copy of Coco Cay. It will have elements of that, but I wouldnt think it would be as "overt". So... A waterpark without the towering slides etc....
From the press release, I would also expect more cultural experiences to be available as part of the activities as well. Additionally, I would think a good indication would also be having a look at pics of what resorts are already available in Vanuatu and the style of their developments.
I would also expect it to be a multi stage process. They will have a good offering available from day one and then develop it further based on customer feedback and how the market reacts.
A private island is a very new concept for cruisers in this part of the world, so there will need to be a reasonable amount of education to build up the interest.
Finally.... While the "unnamed" quantum class ship is scheduled for sydney.... I wouldnt be surprised if ends up being home ported from Brisbane at some point. Its getting the new cruise terminal AND its a quicker transit to Vanuatu where they could offer shorter sailings. Also of note, on the promo material, Cairns is also shown on the map. I wonder if Royal would home port a smaller ship out of Cairns as well during the off season. It would make total sense.
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A little short on details at the moment.... but thats massive news and really says that Royal are investing in the region.
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Clearly they are looking to maximise revenue. The smart move royal are making is that they are putting customised ships that meet the needs of audience (well in China anyway).
If you read the blurb they have on Culturally Enriching Cruises.... it sort of pushes what they are going for: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/what-are-culturally-enriching-cruises-from-mainland-china?country=USA
Every cruise market is different too. It just depends on how different.
In Australia, we rarely tip. We just pay the total. As a result (and also due to Australian consumer law) on cruises booked from Australia (ie: on the Royal Caribbean website) our daily gratuities are included in the base price. Or... when I go to the local store and buy things.... I only pay the price on the ticket because sales tax must be included in the sticker price.
Anyway... the point is, the chinese market is so clearly different that the best course of action for Royal Caribbean to maximise the revenue they get from Chinese sailings is to have ships designed to meet the needs of the market. Shoehorning an American focused ship on to chinese consumers is never going to cut it.
That said... one chinese custom that would be VERY welcome on ships I am sailing on would be Yum Cha served at least a few times a cruise. Would be excellent for hangovers.
Finally... apologies if this post was a rambling mess. I am still waking up!
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8 hours ago, carlosalonsor said:
3,119 phones replaced in staterooms
Does some cabins have more than one phone? Because there are only 1643 cabins.
2,174 mattresses and 1,643 TVs changed in guest staterooms
I thought that almost all cabins had at least 2 mattresses, it seems that they are not changing them all
I would think they are changing the entire phone system. Probably moving to a VOIP PBX type thing.
As for mattresses. Thats a fair call. Who knows.... they might not be including sofa beds (in the calculation).
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i was doing some reading about the Voyager amplification and while it doesnt have all the features we were hoping for, they seem to be giving the staterooms a decent overhaul as part of the works.
I read an article (link below) that says:
QuoteOther interesting facts and figures on Voyager’s revamp include
- 2,174 mattresses and 1,643 TVs changed in guest staterooms
- 3,200 bed frames removed
- 10,600 liters of paint used to repaint the ship
- 10,000 pounds of laundry sent out weekly
- 5,418 pieces of furniture replaced
- 3,119 phones replaced in staterooms
- A total of 138,196.85 man hours spent on dry dock construction
Source: https://cruisepassenger.com.au/the-first-look-inside-royal-caribbeans-revamped-voyager-of-the-seas/
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On 9/27/2019 at 12:35 AM, Big Tule said:
The NSW govt is near making a decision on building another port to accommodate more cruises at Botany Bay in Sydney so I can foresee a change in plans to bring bigger ships to Australia..but that is a long way away and unfortunately I fear the cruisers down under will have to deal with second best for some time yet
and with the new port being built in Brisbane, it will ensure more larger ships come down here too!
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18 minutes ago, Vanessa77 said:
If they had simply said that the ship was going in for a refresh/refurbishment, then I don't think we'd have a leg to stand on for being disappointed. But the fact that they are trying to sell this as the same improvement program as Mariner, Navigator, and now Explorer just leaves me really confused.
I think you summed it up perfectly @Vanessa77 !!
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46 minutes ago, bretts173 said:
Now with the release of the details of Explorers refit announced, those down under who are left with Voyager must be scratching their heads. All ships were anounced under the Royal Amplification program and made people excited and want to book them. Navigator, Mariner and now Explorer have certainly been Amplified while the Australian/NZ market gets Voyager which has been AMPUTATED.
Removal of public space/restaurants and the addition of extra cabins is going to make this clearly the least desirable of all Voyager class ships.
I agree. Unfortunately I think Voyager has been amped for the asian market only and the Australian market suffers. Spectrum of the Seas has been designed for the Asian market and will stay there. Why not leave Voyager there and give us something else.
Australia is the biggest cruise market per capita in the world, why not display your best product?
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13 minutes ago, USCG Teacher said:
He told us that it seemed like we needed some practice on our French, so he gave us the opportunity. He wasn't wrong.
ha! Doesnt surprise me. Not that this applies to me.... but i have been told that if the french know you can speak the language (even if its basic) they expect you to speak it and will let you suffer.
Still... i love France.
Cant wait to go back at some point.
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On 9/19/2019 at 2:48 AM, Ray said:
You shouldnt have any issues in Italy, the only country there is really a problem talking English is in France.
If you are in the tourist areas (predominantly Paris) then they generally all speak English. They just dont want to.
If you follow the advice given earlier and show respect by attempting their language and saying "Bonjour... parlez vous anglais?" (good morning... do you speak english) then you are usually fine.
I hate to say this (considering most people on this forum are from the US) but about 10 years ago I was on a round the world holiday and had been in NYC before heading to Paris. As a result, my wife and I were wearing NY caps and _some_ locals were quite rude. They said "are you American...?" and I said " No... Australian".
They just smiled and spoke to me in perfect english from that point on.
I never wore those hats again in France!
Back to the original question though..... You will be fine in the main parts of italy. only 2 years ago we drove from Florence to Sicily and there was only 2 small towns in the whole trip where language was a concern.
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3 hours ago, morgan94 said:
I do plan to head to the spa, but are there any hidden gems that people don't often talk about?
And lastly, do you have any advice for a first time cruiser? Thanks!
As a first time cruiser.... I would just say - Don't get a preconceived idea in your head about what you are going to do BEFORE the cruise. Go through the cruise compass and try a heap of the activities available at least once. It gives you an idea of what you do and dont like!
As for flights.... what other airports are nearby? Miami is relatively close isnt it? Why not fly to there if it gives you more choice on flights and costs?
note: I am not in the US, so i havent been to florida _yet_ so i have no idea about the airport/transfer nonsense that goes on.
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6 minutes ago, Vanessa77 said:
I get that Voyager is a ship shared with the Asian market which Matt has repeatedly mentioned is an outlier in the industry, and therefore can't be treated as similar to the ships in the US, but as there has been so much hype in the community around the amplification program, and the successes of both Navigator and Mariner, and also taking into account that the Australian consumer is far more similar to the US market than the Asia market, I think it's understandable to be feel like the ship is disappointing in comparison. Regardless I plan to have a great time on the ship, as well as in port.
I wonder if the level of investment is indicative of how long they plan to continue with the Voyager ship. She is 20 year old now, could this be an indication that they don't expect her to remain in the fleet for that much longer, and therefore are restraining their investment into it?
Your points are totally valid. The voyager amplification is a bit underwhelming compared to the others... but I am hoping that what they do do is good. We were on a P&O ship earlier this year (a smaller one) and it really only had 2 additional dining options - chef's table and the grill. So this will certainly be a step up compared to that.
That said... if they do have a ship permanently in AU waters, you would hope that it would have more of the options available similar to the US market. The one thing we arent privvy to is what the onboard spend is like in each individual country. Do AU cruisers spend equivalent amounts to US cruisers? Its clear that Asian cruisers dont and the offering is adjusted.
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53 minutes ago, mattymay said:
Brisbane's proximity to the South Pacific is far better than Sydney... keep the New Zealand cruises out of Sydney, but move all the South Pacific itineraries to the new port in Brisbane and bring in the Megaships!!!!
They need to also upgrade Station Pier in Melbourne. probably one of the best ports for NZ cruises too.
I also find the White Bay terminal in Sydney strange. a great port.... but limited to certain ships based on what can fit under the harbour bridge.
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The private island concept in this area is interesting. I wonder which country will provide the land? It certainly wouldnt be Australia. The cost of doing business on Australian territories would make it prohibitive.
The Bahama's works well for florida because you can do 3 and 4 day itineraries easily. Where here... you would need to do them all from Brisbane to come close to that timeframe.
Additionally, I wonder if it came to be, would it be a purely Royal Caribbean product or would it be shared with Celebrity to get the economies of scale for the destination.
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25 minutes ago, twangster said:
Transpacific is interesting, especially with the South Pacific in the itinerary. This route? Not so much.
I agree with you there.
They actually did (almost) the reverse of that earlier this year. I would have done it if I didnt have to actually work for a living!
and yes... you are right. 45days over 3 itineraries. SYD>SING>DUBAI>BARCA
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7 hours ago, twangster said:
It would be hard to fill an Oasis class ship for the full transit to Australia.
You would be surprised. I was looking at the Celebrity (au) website and they have a transpacific cruise in April 2021 that is just about sold out. (suites only left). Admittedly it _only_ holds 2900+ pax.
Side note though.... if they were going to have a ship out here year round, wouldnt it spend the winter months out of the new (yet to be completed) Brisbane terminal? It can supposedly support mega ships (ie: Oasis class). The only thing is.... where would it go if they dont do tenders?
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November 16th on Voyager out of Singapore! (First Royal Caribbean cruise too!)
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Who needs all that stuff? You just need Australian style Bunnings Sausage Sizzle. Snags, Onion and white bread.
Note: Only the Australians on this forum will have any idea what I am talking about. ha!
NO SMOKING SOMETIME IN 2020?
in Royal Caribbean News and Rumors
Posted
i'm a smoker too and was very surprised to find that smoking is allowed in the casino's on most itineraries.
I am more than happy to go outside and smoke to be honest. it stinks when its inside. As for banning it all together, i doubt that this will happen in the short term.