KWofPerth

AAAAAahahaha, $350.   

People will pay that price, sadly.

Edit: probably Instagrammers and other "influencers".

15 hours ago, Andrew from Adelaide said:

Hi all - I understand the evisa, but am confused about how it applies to cruises.  We are in Nha Trang on the 4th Jan from 8am to 5pm.  We then travel to Ho Chi Minh, arriving at 7am leaving 7pm.  I cant work out if we need to get a multi entry (ie we are in Nha Trang and leave the country when we get back on the ship) or is it just a single entry with the entry port as Nha Trang and the exit port as Ho Chi Minh city.  Advice as to how to apply for the visa in this respect would be hugely appreciated.

Hi Andrew. I haven't applied for the eVisas yet. It's such a confusing process.  

I've had to apply for visas at the Perth consulate on behalf of my Mauritian in-laws, as they are from a country that does not have access to eVisas. So they were required to get their visas at an embassy/consulate, which they don't have in Mauritius. So we went through a long convoluted process to get that done. They ended up with multiple entry visas, just to be safe.

I think in our case, a single entry might be ok, but until I go online and sort it through, I can't give you any advice sorry mate.

This business model is actually of benefit to the astute consumer. Why pay an all-inclusive fare which includes amenities that you don't use, when you can pay a base fare and simply pick & choose whatever extras most suit you?

They seem to be double the normal price this time.

Asian itineraries for 2024-25 are out now. I only looked at Singapore sailings, nothing much that caught my attention. Quantum and Anthem the two options, depending when you go. Folks in Qld may find the Singapore to Brisbane sailing of interest.

3 hours ago, Riley said:

Researching this for a land tour - I read that the loose-leaf visa is applied for ahead of time (online) and at the end of the application/fee process you get a printable page that says you have successfully applied, which is what you print out, bring with you, and produce for their customs officials. You do it ahead of time (not sure how far ahead as I haven't gotten that far yet), not at the port of entry.

The process is really confusing, with no clear information about it. I've read that what you have described is only for air travel, but maybe not.

For anyone who has cruised Asia recently, I'm looking for clarity around the Vietnam visa situation. Various websites and forums say that you can get "loose-leaf" visas when the ship arrives in port. However the RC website states the following:

For sailings visiting Vietnam

• Guests visiting Vietnam will be required to apply for and receive a Vietnam Visa.

• To see if your country is eligible to apply for the E-via, please visit here or if your country doesn't require a visa before joining us onboard, please visit this link here.

• If you are eligible to apply for the E-visa, please fill in the Vietnam E-Visa form no later than 2 weeks prior to sailing.

• Please note, if your country is not listed as eligible for the E-visa, you will need to apply for your Vietnam Visa at your nearest Vietnam Embassy or consulate no later than 2 weeks prior to sailing.

• We will not assist guests with obtaining Visa on Arrival for Vietnam.

• For guests who apply for the E-visa/Visa, correct port name and date of entry and exit must be entered. If any of the information is incorrect, it will be considered an invalid visa and guests will not be allowed to debark. However, they are still able to sail.

  Vietnam Ports:

  • Ho Chi Minh (Vung Tau Seaport)
  • Chan May (Chan May Seaport)
  • Nha Trang (Nha Trang Seaport)
  • Ha Long Bay (Hon Gai Seaport)
  • Da Nang (Da Nang Seaport)

5 hours ago, CruisingOz said:

We have booked B2B2B on Brilliance starting the 22nd Oct, 29th Oct & 8th Nov. Love this class of ship 

Radiance is still my favourite ship. I think my view is strongly influenced by the fact that it was my first cruise and I was child-free 

2 hours ago, SteveK said:

Didn't matter in the end.. app was wrong... no Fosters on Aussie cruises..

Phew.

No circumnavigations either

2 hours ago, CruisingOz said:

Sad that we only have the two ships and no Radiance or Voyager class ships so we can go to all the amazing South Pacific islands. I think I will look further afield and focus my travel dollars on US or Europe for 2025  

Agreed. Very disappointing.

5:00 is crazy early.

A photo will suffice

Cruising From Perth In 2023 | RAC WA

So the bungee aspect will remain sans the VR experience? Or the bungee is being retired in its entirety?

After a second reading, it looks like the latter.  Too many accidents I guess.

16 hours ago, lordbryan123 said:

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/sgp/en/cruise-activities/solarium?country=SGP

RESTRICTIONS

16 + (Excluding China sailings)

FOR CHINA SAILINGS ONLY

Access to the Solarium on Quantum of the Seas and Spectrum of the Seas is exclusive for Gold Suites, Silver Suites, Crown & Anchor Society Diamond and above members and Royal Premier guests. No age restrictions.

When I was on board Spectrum sailing out of Singapore in Sep 22, the only restrictions were no kids since it was not a China sailing.

Thanks for that info

Haha, thanks guys. Like I said, mixed information.  Appreciate your responses

Can anyone tell me whether the Solarium on Spectrum is:

a) for suite guests only, or 

b) has a specific section reserved for suite guests only?

I have received mixed information. Thanks in advance to anyone who knows.

7 hours ago, Matt said:

Royal Caribbean isn't planning to go back to the old drill

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2023/01/26/royal-caribbean-we-have-no-intention-of-moving-back-old-muster-drill

Great news @Matt. Interesting to note that the compliance rate is actually higher than the old muster drill. So reverting would actually make things worse.  In short, everyone's a winner with eMuster

Back on topic, god I hope they don't bring back the old muster drill. What a regressive step.

4 hours ago, mattymay said:

On Ovation now.. Mystery Island and Port Vila cancelled due to bad weather. Heading from Noumea to New Zealand Bay of Islands instead.

 

I'd consider that a damn good alternative, almost a win.

I'm booked on Spectrum in Jan 2024. I would not be pleased with a ship change.

3 hours ago, Chili said:

 

Not cool. Not cool at all.

5 hours ago, Chili said:

It sounds like there’s going to be a clash of cultures .

 Indigenous values opposed to  a multinational corporation. But that’s the whole idea of the resort, bringing the world to experience the island.

 

This sounds like a movie. Avatar anyone?

Carnival cruise ship passenger’s miraculous survival after falling overboard | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site

20 minutes ago, Chili said:

I was just at the Captain’s corner on Ovation and someone asked about building smaller ships.

The Captain said Royal Caribbean is in the planning stage of a new class of ship. Something between Radiance and Voyager.

Has anyone heard of this?

Huge if true. Which I hope it is.