KWofPerth

For anyone wishing to embrace their inner child, RC is running a competition in which the winners will participate in a Hide & Seek game onboard Ovation of the Seas while docked in Sydney on 18 Feb 2018. The winner of the hide & seek will then win a family cruise and $10,000. Details here http://www.10yearsofroyal.com.au/hide-and-seek/?utm_source=RCI_Web&utm_medium=Banner&utm_campaign=Hide_and_seek

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Poolside towels provided on check in check out basis. Bathroom towels sorted as well. In short no need to pack any towels at all unless you have a favourite :)

On the other hand, if you want to make a big scene out of it, approach the Cruise Director and ask if he/she can set aside a few minutes of time in the theatre one night. Get him/her to call you and your gf up on stage, play dumb, and then when you're up there, get down on bended knee, etc. No harm in asking

First of all, congratulations and good luck! Finding a quiet place on deck at sunset would be my suggestion. You get epic sunsets (and sunrises) out at sea, so if you're looking for a more intimate moment, that's what I would do. Possibly at the bow or stern somewhere. Again, good luck!!

I booked my next cruise over the phone (too many bugs online). Myself, wife and 2 kids in interconnecting rooms. No problems so far, though the cruise is still 12 months away. However credit where it's due to RC - a few weeks after booking, they contacted me to advise that my two children had been re-priced (I forget the reason) and they reduced our payment by $55 per child.

Hi Bazza, I've been to Wellington for a brief overnight stay and just enjoyed walking around town. Loads of restaurants, bars and cafes. However the Te Papa Museum comes highly recommended. Next time I visit I intend going there. Can't help you with the other ports unfortunately (except Sydney, do the Bridge Climb!).

I would definitely recommend a medical certificate for anyone who finds themselves in this position. You'd hate to be turned away at embarkation. The cut-off is if a woman reaches the 24th week at anytime during the cruise. The RCI policy states 'no cruising for you' if this is the case. You could possibly get through the embarkation process without any staff realising (or asking, for fear of causing offence), but if any misfortune befalls you onboard, you leave yourself open to loss of insurance and who-knows-what other legal surprises?

So true!

...the first thing you do when you wake up is log onto RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com to read the latest post

I think there's a podcast episode in here somewhere @Matt - What to Expect when you are Expecting - Cruising Edition. I (and my wife of course) were in a somewhat similar position. Our sailing date - booked 12 months in advance - was slightly after the 24th week of pregnancy, resulting in us choosing to bring forward our cruise date. As this was an inter-generational cruise, we had to re-negotiate for a credit for deposits already paid for other family members. We also required a Doctor's certificate confirming how many weeks pregnant my wife was. Anyways, just thought there might be some material for a podcast :) Also, congrats @Great_Canadian...

I agree that Ovation seems overpriced. Some of the feedback I've come across has not been glowing, either. So personally, Explorer sailings hit the sweet spot. Booked an October 2018 trip out to New Caledonia in an interconnecting interior for my family, plus treated my oldies to a cabin nextdoor. So no Grand Suite for me

Yay at last, Aus/NZ cruises are loaded. For some reason the 16 Nov 2018 cruise isn't showing up (had my eye on that one, among others). Hopefully just a bug in the website.

I had a copy saved on my hard drive and just compared the two (too much time on my hands!!). There are no changes. So one wonders what the delay was all about. Ditto with booking next week!

Thanks F1guynz. The sailings that I was eyeing off on Explorer are exactly the same as published a few weeks ago. Are you aware of any changes in the itineraries?

From Facebook, for those STILL waiting for the Australian itineraries - The wait is over! 2018/2019 new season sailings on sale next week... Our new summer season cruises will go on sale next Tuesday, 30 May with favourites Ovation of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas all returning with a variety of fresh itineraries to destinations throughout Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, French Polynesia and Asia. Make sure to mark it in your calendar!

From Facebook... The wait is over! 2018/2019 new season sailings on sale next week... Our new summer season cruises will go on sale next Tuesday, 30 May with favourites Ovation of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas all returning with a variety of fresh itineraries to destinations throughout Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, French Polynesia and Asia. Make sure to mark it in your calendar!

I looked up the Sydney port schedules yesterday. The 2018/19 summer berths have now been updated to remove Voyager and place Explorer into the dates that were published a week or two ago. Interestingly however, Voyager is still showing up in late 2019 and beyond. There's a number of ways this could be interpreted, but my guess is that the Port Authority is still negotiating for all 4 ships (Voyager, Radiance, Explorer and Ovation) to be based down under from 2019/20 on.

This was my thought too, though it would be a bit late in the day to re-arrange things I would've thought.

Here it is - 17_4_27_RCI_201819_Programme_Release_Trade_FA.pdf

For anyone like me who is waiting for the South Pacific and NZ itineraries, here we go... 17_4_27_RCI_201819_Programme_Release_Trade_FA.pdf

No direct experience myself, but Matt - in his podcasts - suggests that you can get a good bargain on port days. It also doesn't hurt to ask in advance what deals are coming up.

Ouch. Stinging article!

A couple more articles on the subject... http://www.travelweekly.com.au/article/sydneys-cruise-tourism-economy-sinking/ http://www.travelweekly.com.au/article/tourism-at-risk-as-cruise-ships-sail-past-sydney/ The second article at least concludes with this optimistic quote from the Managing Director - “We expect that local demand for Royal Caribbean’s innovative and ground breaking ships will see a fourth Royal Caribbean ship return to Australian shores in 2019/20. Our determination to remain the number one cruise line in this region is undiminished,” Armstrong concluded.

It appears to me that the delay in the release of Australian itineraries is all down to RCI's pulling of Voyager from the overcrowded Sydney Harbour. There is simply not enough space at the Overseas Passenger Terminal to accommodate all the ships that want to dock there. With local governments not coming to the party to invest in infrastructure or make use of Garden Island (naval base), RCI reached the reluctant decision to move Voyager to Sydney and sail Radiance out of Melbourne/Auckland. http://www.escape.com.au/holiday-ideas/cruises/ocean/voyager-of-the-seas-to-finish-cruising-in-australia/news-story/603f56149a14b3c0ab366700ead2e02b This is quite sad considering how the industry is booming down this way, and the thrill of sailing out of Sydney Harbour.