KWofPerth

I'd be surprised if there was good news at this stage. There's an election looming, don't forget.

Pfizer shots are now available to the 30-49yo cohort here in WA, with 20,000 bookings made (myself and the missus included) since the announcement yesterday arvo. I believe nationally that Pfizer is now available for anyone 40+. This would seem to be the start of what will hopefully be an upwards spike in the rollout.

How very on brand

On the plus side, this seems to have triggered the population out of their vaccination apathy. Vaxx rates in Victoria have more than doubled this week. Also the Commonwealth government is copping a hammering over the rollout, so surely this will get their bum into gear on that front.

Pfizer and Moderna won't have widespread availability until October, if not later (supply issues, or something). And since they are now the recommended vaccines for the under/50 population, the rollout is progressing at a glacial pace.

The vaccine rollout has been super slow. Only now has the Govt secured some Moderna shots. You had one job ScoMo!

Early to mid-April is around school holidays time. Whatever else you do, don't miss the sounds (fjords). Particularly Milford Sound. This will be a jaw-dropping highlight. Having done land-based travel around NZ, my recommendation to anyone that has the means, would be to see more of the country pre or post-cruise. A cruise visit doesn't do the place justice. So maybe a Sydney to Auckland one-way cruise for those that can afford it.

Paging @twangster . Mr Twangster please....

Wouldn't they just bar X number of unvaccinated passengers from boarding, to ensure they reach the 95% quota? So if for example, they find that 92% of passengers are vaccinated prior to boarding, RC refuses boarding to whatever number enables them to reach 95%. Therefore, if you haven't had your jab and you book, you are taking on a massive risk of being denied boarding. Or, as suggested by Mike. S, this rule is effectively a mandate to ensure everyone is vaccinated, with possible exceptions of certain medical exemptions.

It'll definitely be No jab, No cruise. I have no problem with that.

How could I forget RipCord!!? Yes, book that one too.

Hi dream. My experience with the app pre-cruise was hit and miss (Jan. 2020, those were the days). Some things I could book, others stated 'add to calendar' as you say. I suggest checking every day or two, but basically, whatever you haven't booked by boarding time, you can find where on the ship they are taking bookings in person on embarkation day and at what time, and simply head there to do it manually (sorry, I can't remember exactly, but I suspect the information is in the Cruise Compass). So for example, on boarding day I had to go to the Music Hall to book North Star and a show in 270. From memory that was all that required booking.

Us cruise nerds all know this, but the general public...not so much. That is the problem and is why politicians (certainly here in Australia, anyway) are in no hurry to restart. We'll get there eventually.

The political fallout from restarting cruising now would be monumental. The Ruby Princess debacle is still fresh in everyone's minds. ScoMo (Scott Morrison, the Prime Minister) is having a disastrous time of things at the moment with other issues and as the archetypal political pragmatist, there's no way he'd sign off on re-opening cruising anytime soon.

Wasn't Voyager sailing out of there? Or was due to be in 2020? Spectrum and Wonder are more for Beijing sailings I thought. Could be mistaken.

"Radiance, Seranade, Voyager, and Ovation" The perfect mix, for mine. Two Quantum class ships is overkill IMO. The intermediate Voyager class gives some nice balance. I might have to wait for the release of Singapore sailings before deciding what to book for 22/23. Living in Perth, I have to catch a 4 hour flight regardless, and a brief pre-visit to Singapore is fantastic. It's a pity the itinerary release has been pushed out to June.

Yes, I'm pleasantly surprised. I couldn't see any 'bottom or top way around Australia' itineraries. Usually there are one or two per season.

I'm a little disappointed to get two Q class ships and no Voyager class. Oh well.

Where did you see this list Mattymay ?

So far I can only see one sailing, in Feb 2023. Seems quite exxy too, $1,590 for a 9 nighter outside of school holidays. I daresay they are allowing for a lot of pent up demand.

I'm on the record as hating the lettering. Otherwise I don't have any problems with the design. Fairly neutral about it really. Off topic slightly, I posted this in another thread, thought I'd add it here as well.

I came across this yesterday on Very Unofficial Travel Guides. It turns out that members of the public can just turn up at Meyer Werft and have a look around. Very interesting insight.

I've only heard it mentioned once in recent times. I suppose the hope is, the rollout will outpace any spread caused by colder weather. Regardless, the system we have in place in the various states seems to be working. Some states have closed borders, others close their borders as and when breakouts happen in other states, and the states have excellent contact tracing when outbreaks occur, which are often accompanied by snap lockdowns of ~5days to cut off any further spread. Hopefully by October a significant portion of the population will be jabbed up and we can look at tentatively, progressively, step-by-step, returning to international travel.

Given that Royal doesn't sail in the winter months, this extension has no impact. Besides, it was always on the cards, given the vaccine rollout has only just commenced.