KWofPerth

Based off of previous Cruise Compasses and what will be open, I have pre-planned my embarkation day (Explorer, late October SP sailing): 1. Board, straight to the WJ. 2. Walk the ship. 3. Check MDR seating. 4. Try the FlowRider. 5. Register the kiddywinks in Adventure Ocean. 4. Check the Stateroom, unpack, get ready for dinner. 5. Muster drill. 6. Pre-dinner bevvy 7. Dinner. 8. Show 9. Post-show drinks. 10. Flop into bed. I will be happy if about 30% of that plan actually comes to fruition ?

I don't know the costs of non-alcoholic drinks, but were you referring to a rum-free version of a pina colada? If not, I have some news for you...

Haha, I think Matt might've missed the point.

Devote yourself to work and think of nothing else, ESPECIALLY cruising. ? Time will pass much quicker that way.

Excellent news. Enjoy!!

I have a cruise booked for January 2020 onboard Quantum, sailing from Singapore. We paid a non-refundable deposit back in April and according to the paperwork the full payment is due in September 2018. That's fully 16 months before sailing. Has anyone had any experience of sailing in Asia and if the payment policies differ? Maybe it was a typo on my itinerary? I hope so!

Let us all know how this works out! Once you are on the ship this issue will melt away into insignificance ?

If it was me, I would be very very uncomfortable with a 1hr, 5min transfer time. I would move heaven and earth to change my flight times. Good luck, I feel for you.

Hi June May. As Matt referred to, take online reviews with a grain of salt. Some people's expectations are way too high to begin with, while others only comment on the negatives they see, none of the positives. I'm sailing Explorer in Oct/Nov and I cannot wait. If every review I read between now and then is bad, I will still be looking forward with excited anticipation.

I was about to ask why don't they just give him the anti-venom? Then I kept reading and realised why. $25K, how is that justified? Thankfully the Medicare in my country would cover such an event, which hopefully never occurs of course. Good luck to your hubby!!

Hi Larry, welcome along. You've chosen two cruises that I like to think of as Australia's equivalent of Caribbean and Alaskan cruises. South Pacific - beautiful beaches, palm trees, etc. and New Zealand - spectacularly breathtakingly, jaw-dropping scenery. And B2b!! You'll have a fantastic time. Further to June May's suggestion, I recommend the Bridge Climb. Or simply wander around Circular Quay and visit the Opera House. For a decent breakfast or dinner I'd recommend Pancakes on the Rocks.

I would love to earn enough money to reach the point where deciding whether to change up my "cruise routine" ever became a problem.

I had to email somebody from a different department (Guest Relations) in the end, as I was getting nowhere with the Reservations person I was dealing with. I forwarded all correspondence, explained the situation and within a week I had received an apology, admission of error and had my MDR dining time placed back to 6pm, as originally booked. It was quite the ordeal. Takeaway lessons: 1. Use a TA 2. See point 1. 3. When an error has been made, complain, complain, complain and do not take No for an answer if you know you are in the right. 4. See point 1 again.

Yes, I booked myself. Never again. I've escalated my problem higher up the chain. We are also on the waitlist but I don't like my chances to be honest. We'll see.

When calling for a re-pricing, has anyone had their dining time for the MDR switched without authorisation? This is exactly what happened to me. I received $400 off a booking and discovered two days later that my dining time was changed from 6pm to 8:30pm. When I called I was told that this happened because there was no availability at 6pm when I re-booked and I would have to go on the waitlist. Strange, since the re-booking occurred almost instantly. Worse still, when I emailed reservations to correct what I perceive to be a RCI error, I was informed that my original booking had a dining time of 8:30pm. I forwarded my original invoice, showing dining time of 6pm, and was then told that I was misinterpreting the invoice (I am 100% certain I am not). Seems to me like they are trying to shift the blame onto me at this stage. I was also told that the 6pm dining time was not available when I made my original booking. Strange, since I made my booking literally the day that the sailings were released in May 2017. Everything was available, including my choice of staterooms! So I'm either being lied to, or dealing with an incompetent individual. Has anyone had a similar experience when re-pricing? It's almost not worth saving $400 at this point.

Spitting on a cruise ship is just not on, cultural norm or not.

Nice. You'll have a fabulous time!

Well I found an answer to my query by visiting a TA. There are heaps of rooms available, so yeah, the website was the issue. Also, I didn't realise this, but all interior rooms on Quantum OTS have a virtual balcony. Not sure if this is common across Quantum Class. Anyone know?

I looked at some of the Asian sailings on Quantum that were also released. The booking process is showing only 5 interior staterooms left available and they were all with virtual balconies. I'm hoping this is just a website issue and part of the whole "To access our best available rates please call us" message !

" All guests will be provided with a full refund as well as a 100% Future Cruise Credit. " As much of a downer as this cancellation would be, the compo is essentially a free cruise. I'd actually be very very happy about that.

The comfort of first/biz class will no doubt make all the difference. You lucky thing!!

In the past when travelling to the UK I've had to travel Perth to Singapore (5 hours plus stopover) then Singapore to London (approx 14 hours). Brutal !! If I was in your shoes I'd probably spend a night or two in LA. Although the flights from Oklahoma to Dallas and then Dallas to LA are probably not that long (??) all that time stopping over and getting on and off different planes adds up pretty quick. (I can directly attest to this as I just got home from an 8 night trip to Phuket, Thailand, which required a stopover in Singapore as no direct flights from Perth.) One true downside in living in my part of the world is the extensive travel required to visit foreign lands. I envy all you folks living so close to RCI's departure ports in the States. My nearest port is in Sydney, 4.5 hours away!! First world problems I guess Sorry, I don't mean to scare anyone from travelling to Australia. It's wonderful once you get here, I promise!!

Are there stopovers or can you get a direct flight to Sydney? I know from experience how arduous long haul flights can be, so if you have to stop over somewhere inbetween, I'd actually recommend booking into a hotel for a night or two, just to break the journey up. Also, it's good that you are arriving in Sydney several days before the cruise. You will need that time to recover from the flight and re-adjust your body clock. Sorry, nothing I can say to make you feel better about the prospect of the flight. Just remember that it will all be worthwhile when you're cruising the Coral Sea :)

I have previously stayed at the Holiday Inn in an area called The Rocks. It's literally walking distance to the terminal and the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is mid-range pricing too. I highly recommend this location. This October I'm staying at the Amora Hotel which is only 800metres from Circular Quay. Also reasonably priced. If staying at The Rocks, there is a pancake house that is great for breakfast or dinner, though I can't recall what it is called. Google will probably assist. US dollars no good in Australia I'm afraid, but in the SP there will be places that accept them.

I can't disagree F1guynz. Mid-winter cruises to the South Pacific would be ideal. As it is, we can only do that by being disloyal to Royal !