Jamesszy94

She was supposed to receive amplification in 2020 (but we all know what happened that year )

Royal have since postposed her amplification indefinitely, but she was supposed to receive:

• Ultimate Abyss dry slides
• The Perfect Storm waterslides
• Revamped Adventure Ocean and teens spaces
• Expanded Splashaway Bay
• Lime & Coconut Bar
• Laser Tag: Clash in the Crystal City
• The Royal Escape Room – Apollo 18: Lunar Landing
• Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar restaurant
• Portside BBQ restaurant
• El Loco Fresh restaurant
• The Sugar Beach candy store
• Bionic Bar
• Spotlight Karaoke
• Music Hall

Personally, if Royal ever decided to send an Oasis class ship down to Australia, I'd want it to be Allure, she's the only one left that doesn't have all the fancy waterslides etc! And she looks way nicer than her sisters...

Wonder looks way too cluttered on her top deck... that's just me though, beauty is subjective...

Hmm that makes sense! Thanks. I'll keep an eye out! 

So I know that on some cruises there's certain ports you can get on/off the ship (like you can do a certain leg of the world cruise on Serenade later this year)

Back in 2017 during our 14 day to Singapore, we could either do the Sydney --> Singapore (14 days) or we could do the Brisbane -> Singapore leg (which would end up being 12 days instead of 14).

I mean, clearly, these are for longer sailings, but is there a way to book a certain leg of a cruise?

On my recent cruise on Ovation, we booked a GTY Interior where we let Royal pick the location. It ended up being a Connecting Interior, but it wasn't too bad because the family next door were an older couple so they weren't really that loud/noisy. We were near the aft of the ship, but that was fine cause I don't mind walking, it helps me keep active during the day. Some people prefer knowing the location of their cabin beforehand though I guess. 

Only 13 Pinnacles on board?! 

Hope you have a great time on Brilliance! She's repositioning down here to Australia for the Summer 2023-2024 season in November, so will definitely be keeping an eye out on this blog, going to be interesting to see how she compares to her Oasis and Quantum (and Icon) sisters.

8 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

That’s it for now I think. I have the cruise compasses. At some point over the next week, I will scan and send to @Matt so look for them in the cruise compass section in a week or so. 
 

If there are any other questions, ask away. Happy to answer. 
 

Thanks for joining us. We had a wonderful time. It truly has been a week full of blessings and love. We are grateful. 
 

As for what is next? We are in dry dock now for the next few months. Wonder where we are headed next? @MamaShark might the winner on that one in an earlier post this week

I WONDER where you're headed next  . It was good reading the blog! Thanks for taking us along with you

The dreaded "t" (tomorrow) word!

Time really does go by so quick!! It was great reading your blog on Harmony... hope to read another blog from you soon...

(I'm guessing Marla is the one in pink )

Glad you and your family are having a good time!! Hope to go cruising with my family (by family, I mean, brother, SIL, niece, nephew, mum and dad) one day.... maybe next year for my parents wedding anniversary.... I guess I better start looking at deals! Just gotta decide which ship...

I'm so jealous! All that food looks so good!!

On my recent cruise - I held back on how much I ate... especially deserts...I'm on a bit of a health kick atm  (Not me ordering like 5 donuts each morning for breakfast)

I keep saying I want to experience an Oasis class ship... but after seeing seeing all the people at the 70s Disco Inferno Party.... Needless to say... I don't like crowds 

23 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

She is huge! Lots to do. That is one reason why I love Oasis class ships. I hope you get your turn down under for one. 

Yes, I hope so too, one day, they'd have to either remove all the plants from the promenade or use fake ones, Australia's biosecurity laws are pretty strict, so not sure how they'd do it... Maybe for my parents 40th wedding anniversary next year...

All of that food looks so good!! So jealous....

I wish I was back on a cruise ship right now

Wow!! Harmony looks HUGE. She's such a beautiful ship!

It's amazing how much lifeboats have improved since the days of Titanic...

Titanic had 20 lifeboats that could only carry ~1200 passengers....

Wonder has what? also 18 lifeboats but can carry ~7000 passengers? 

I mean obviously Wonder is like 5 times the size that Titanic was and therefore her lifeboats are much bigger.... but I always like to say, if Titanic didn't sink back in 1912.... who knows what the cruise industry would be like today.

1 hour ago, SweetPea said:

You get it. You totally get it!!

But seriously, you know you're from NJ when, not only do you have a honed fascination with all things truffle, but... you order your favorite pizza from one place, your favorite pasta from another, and your favorite appies or salad from a third to share family style all in one night (not because any one place is bad but because you can and that's your preference). However, everyone still wants YOU to make the Stromboli because you've mastered the art of getting the meats and cheeses all the way to each end without any wasted dough-only sections, even though you're Irish ...

Do you know if they serve Hawaiian pizza on Royal ships? I've never been able to get pineapple on pizza!!!

All that food looks so good!! I need to try out a specialty restaurant next time I cruise

8 hours ago, KristiZ said:

Day 6 MDR - “Royal Night”

There was no lobster, fyi. 
 

Appetizers: Baked French Onion Soup, actually better than it used to be. Bright Citrus Avocado & Melon Salad - looked terrible but MomMe declared it delicious and gobbled it up. Chilled Shrimp Cocktail, also very good. 
 

Mains: Lemon-Butter Baked Cod - nice presentation and texture but a little bland. Chicken Marsala - very tasty, with a unique smoky note. Spicy Shrimp Jalfrezi - quite spicy and very delicious!

Dessert: Red Velvet Cake - always a solid choice!

Soup:

Avo Citrus thing:

Shrimp cocktail:

Cod:

Marsala:

Jalfrezi:

Cake:

 

Is there no lobster night on all Royal ships now? I was hoping once we got into port in Tasmania we'd have  complimentary lobster or something.. I mean we had seafood soup that had lobster bits, but I wanted actual lobster!

13 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Everyone needs to try Oasis class #teamOAclass 

If only Royal would send one down here to Australia

All we get are Quantum and Radiance class ships 

I keep saying I want to try Oasis class.... but I don't think I'd be able to deal with the crowds

I'm so jealous of your trip on Harmony!! All the food looks amazing, glad you're having a good time with the kids and extended family~!

21 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

Even on the US site they're hard to find if you don't know where to look. You have to go all the way through the booking process, input everyone's names and eventually you get to the page where you choose your dining time and it's on there. A couple of lines saying something like if you want a refundable deposit it's this much extra and you tick the little circle to select it.

You'd need to check to see if the Australian site has the same thing. 

Note that the extra cost is added on to your total cruise fare and not to the deposit you pay at the time of booking.

And also that it's only refundable up until final payment at which point you're into the penalty phase exactly as if you'd booked non-refundable.

The additional amount varies from ship to ship and sailing to sailing so sometimes it will be small and sometimes it will be astronomical!

Ah okay, I see it! I made a mock booking and the box was there, I wonder why it wasn't there for my Ovation sailing... probably because I booked it maybe like 35 days before sailing? 

One of the downsides of living in Australia is that we can't use US based travel agents (well, we can, but the prices are converted from USD to AUD, so it'll be significantly higher than booking from Royal themselves), but my question is... it never gives me the option of selecting refundable deposits... it's always a non-refundable deposit...

Are refundable deposits only a thing in the US or what's the catch...

Loving your blog so far!! IZUMI looks amazing. I asked my dad if he wanted to try it on my recent sailing and he asked me if it was complimentary, I said no, so he said no even after I offered to pay

15 minutes ago, KristiZ said:

She had a refurbishment in 2012, so she only looks 10 years old

Honestly she looks great though. The crew does a fantastic job keeping her up!

Haha! Hope you're enjoying your time onboard! I'll live vicariously through this blog post and act like I'm back on a Royal ship 

I guess I have to live vicariously through this blog.... to experience an Oasis-class ship since we don't get them down here in Aussie! (Please Royal.... can you send us one?)  Also, is it just me or does the Aqua Theatre in your photos look kinda empty.... I'm guessing people are busy unpacking/doing other things on the first night 

That's a suite on Rhapsody?! For a 28 year old ship, the cabin looks very good! Although, the shower curtain and some of the decor does look a bit outdated! Still, that comes with age, but it looks like they've kept her in good condition! Seeing all the different ports and all the food makes me wish I was back on a Royal ship right now! I do want to try one of the smaller ships one day since apparently those are the only ones that can visit the more exotic ports. Definitely going to keep up with this blog!

Hmm okay thanks guys. I know how I'm going to answer. 

If I answer yes - what happens

If I answer no - what also happens?

There were crew members who asked me to provide positive ratings...