Jamesszy94

Overseas Passenger Terminal is relatively empty.. I guess that's expected when you choose a late check in time.

Boarding soon!

Taking the train to Circular Quay now. T Minus 1 hour to go!

Boarding Day! 2 hours until we board! Just waiting for a lift to the station now then catching the train to Circular Quay to get to the Overseas Passenger Terminal.

Update: Looks like they retroactively applied the Double Points for me... I was doing all the pre-cruise day check-in stuff and found out I had 36 points which looked super weird to me, because it was originally 22.

1 day before boarding day! I've started packing... finally just throw a bunch of clothes, underwear, socks, pants and shorts into a suitcase and call it a day!

I would have also liked to visit Dunedin.. but alas, this one didn't include Dunedin.

Two more days until we board Ovation of the Seas... this will be my third time on her, but I don't mind, she's a great ship, and it's not like we (people who live in Australia.. ) have any other choice that doesn't involve flying.. Our itinerary goes: DAY 1 (TUE 12 MAR) - Sydney, Australia DAY 2 (WED 13 MAR) - CRUISING DAY 3 (THUR 14 MAR) - CRUISING DAY 4 (FRI 15 MAR) - Picton, New Zealand DAY 5 (SAT 16 MAR) - Napier, New Zealand DAY 6 (SUN 17 MAR) - Wellington, New Zealand DAY 7 (MON 18 MAR) - CRUISING DAY 8 (TUE 19 MAR) - Dusky Sound (8:00am - 9:00am), Doubtful Sound (11:00am - 12:00pm), Milford Sound (5:00pm - 6:00pm) DAY 9 (WED 20 MAR) - CRUISING DAY 10 (THUR 21 MAR) - CRUISING DAY 11 (FRI 22nd MAR) - Sydney, Australia Not entirely sure why Royal are doing it this way but lol okay... you'd think they'd go through the Sounds first, up to Picton, over to Wellington, then over to Napier and then north past Auckland back to Sydney, but I'm not questioning it.. as long as Royal gets me to the places, I'll be a happy camper. WHO: Myself and my father (my mum doesn't like cruising, cause she gets seasick often) CABIN: Oceanview on Deck 3 right next to the Music Hall (upgraded from an Interior through Royal Up) - I wish I could afford staying in a suite... maybe later this year when I turn 30... I'll treat myself. My house to the Overseas Passenger Terminal is ~35-40 minute train ride. It's a 5 minute walk over from Circular Quay to get to the port.... Let's hope they reserved us a table for 2 in the MDR like I requested...

I think Explorer, Liberty and Adventure are/were also supposed to be getting amplification's too, but noone knows when. I think they already did a small amplification/upgrade for Explorer earlier this year or sometime last year if I remember correctly. I made a similar post a while ago - some good insights.

Well, that's the number that's listed on the Australian website under the Crown and Anchor society page...I've emailed them now though, so will just wait for a reply. Hmm, I guess that makes sense, I'll see what they reply with on the email (hopefully they do) and will keep you updated.

Too bad we can't look up flights now... But one way would still be cheaper than Return, so it shouldn't be too bad either way.

I'm trying to convince my dad to go with me on that repo, so I might bump into you. He's not too sold on the idea that we have to fly back from Singapore though... one way on Qantas shouldn't be too expensive right? Especially since you get 30kg of checked baggage included.. don't really want to pay an arm and a leg for Scoot where they charge you for literally everything.

When I got my RoyalUp bid accepted last month for an upgrade from an Interior to an Oceanview, I bid the absolute minimum on the 2nd bar of the wheel. Like Mike said, it's purely anecdotal, you could bid the absolute minimum and win, or you could be 10,000 (just as a hypothetical number) over the minimum and still win, my guess is it's about demand and what other people are willing to pay.

I'm not an expert or anything, but your best bet is to probably call/email Royal Caribbean and explain the situation to them and see what they say, or wait until you get on the ship and go to Guest Services and see if there's any unoccupied rooms they can swap you to?

I'm probably going to be checking every nook and cranny in the room now for hidden cameras... you never know what kind of people these cabin stewards are... I feel like this isn't just an issue with cruise ships though, it's a problem anywhere where cleaners have access to your room.

Yeah, I'm wondering if that line has to do with anything.. it would make sense I didn't get double points if there was actually a discount under the ReducedSingles line... but it's $0 which logic would dictate meant that there was no discount...

It's okay, I called them up... the operator was a bit passive aggressive and it seemed like he didn't want to help me. I explained the problem to him and he said It would be better if I emailed them, I told him I emailed them 2 years ago and never got a reply, and then I asked him, what if they don't reply to me this time, and he seemed pretty confident like they would and was like "They will definitely reply to you this time" What exactly is the point of the CAS number existing if they can't help me over the phone.. The number I called is 1800754500 which is the number that's on their website.

Update: 2 years later and still no reply from Royal... Maybe I should call the CAS society and have it cleared up.. Update: I called the crown and anchor number... they said I had to email them, what exactly is the point of the number existing then if they can't help me over the phone. I told the operator that I emailed them 2 years ago and never got a reply but he said I'd definitely get a reply this time...

My dad did this on his last Royal cruise. We'd have dinner around 5pm (that was our selected dining time) and then at around 7:30-8:30pm when it was less crowded and people were at the shows, he'd go to the Windjammer to get more food.

Yes absolutely. There's noone at the door that will stop you and be like "nope, you've already eaten in the MDR! Access Denied" lol. you can go into the windjammer as many times as you want provided it's open.

So I'm guessing 2024-2025 will be Ovation's last season in Australia then?

I always love pictures like those ship comparisons... really puts it into perspective how much larger these ships truly are... I was in Sydney Harbour the past weekend, there were two cruise ships - The Ambiance by Ambassador Cruise Line, she isn't a small ship by any means, she's slightly smaller than Grandeur and she didn't really block much of the view to the other side of the harbour and then there was also the Celebrity Edge, which is almost twice her size, and she blocked a lot of the view.. let me see if I can find some pictures for reference.

If I ever get to sail on Icon or Star... I'll definitely come back to this post and refer to it, great write up.

When are Anthem/Voyager expected to start making their way down to Sydney/Brisbane?

Yikes!! So many people - the only time I've seen that many people on a cruise is for Harry Potter trivia... suddenly everyone seems to be a Harry Potter nerd during that time... Love your smoke bubble effect.