KWofPerth

Passengers from Ovation of the Seas are among the injured and missing people, and at least one person has died, after a volcano erupted on New Zealand's Whakaari (White Island).
Initial reports suggested 100 visitors were on or near the island at the time of the eruption, but police have since halved the estimate as some of those people have been transported to shore, according to an report in the NZ Herald.
Tourism Bay of Plenty spokeswoman said a helicopter and a tour boat have still not been accounted for, the article states.
The eruption occurred on Monday afternoon around 2.15pm, with several rescue helicopters attending. An emergency operation centre has also been set up at Whakatane Hospital to work alongside Civil Defence.
Royal Caribbean's 4,905-passenger Ovation of the Seas docked at the nearby Port of Tauranga this morning and it is understood that many of the missing tourists were from the ship, visiting White Island on a tour boat. Ovation of the Seas was due to depart this evening but instead will stay in Tauranga tonight.
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson told Cruise Critic: “We can confirm that a number of our guests were touring the island today. We do not have any additional details to share at this time. Ovation of the Seas will remain overnight until we learn more about the situation. We will offer all possible assistance to our guests and local authorities. Please keep all those affected in your prayers.”
New Zealand Cruise Association released a statement that it is "very concerned" about the welfare of the cruisers.
“Our primary concern right now is with the wellbeing of the passengers and all those involved. We would like to extend our heartfelt concern to the passengers and their families,” NZCA Chief Executive Officer Kevin O’Sullivan said. “Our hope is that everyone will be recovered quickly and unharmed, but at this time we have no further information.”

Disembarkation and a few closing notes:
Oh gosh, what a whirlwind of a trip. 4 nights is simply too short!  I originally wanted to book a longer sailing, but one of the women had never been away from her two little girls, and I totally understood.  I managed to pack up the night before in half darkness (impressed the heck out of myself, lemme tell ya!). 
We sauntered down to The Key breakfast around 8am and treated ourselves to some decadent Eggs Benedict (the ONLY time I ever allow myself the pleasure is on a cruise), and lamented our impending doom. I mean, departure. When we finally dragged ourselves away from the table, we made it to deck 4 and off the ship with nary a line.  Zip .... off.  Since we carried on at the beginning of the trip, we carried off, and were rolling past all of the other people picking up luggage within about 3 minutes (which was as long as it took us to drag our heels off of the ship). 
I was kind of cruel at this point. My friends were booking along ahead of me - apparently trying to reinforce that they did, indeed, have longer legs than I, so I hung back at my own pace.  La la la la - watching them trying to finagle their passports out of their bags. BWAHAHAHA..... there was my chance to pass on the left! Passports?? We don't need no stinking passports!! This is Terminal A, BABY!!!  I stepped through the facial recognition before they even saw me.  But it was a nice surprise for them.  "Wait, that's it? We don't need to do anything else?"  Nope!
We scoped out the RideShare area (such as it is) and checked the price for an Uber ($37.14) to MIA.  Then a man from Koala Transportation offered a shuttle direct to the airport for $10/ea. Saving money AND Koalas???? SIGN ME UP.  Our wait for the shuttle was about 5 minutes. We loaded into a large Sprinter van with 10 other people who were similarly depressed to be off the ship, and were at the airport within 15 minutes.
Where we waited. And waited.  I went through the TSA Precheck line at 9:45 am and our flight wasn't going to board until 1:30pm.  Yep, that was the first flight available.  We eventually moseyed off to the Budweiser Brew House for our last libation and another snack (because, let's face it, it had been more than 30 minutes since we'd last ate), where one of them ordered a Coors Lite.  In a Budweiser Brew House.  I thought the ceiling would come down on us - I nearly ducked under the table - between the staff and all of the customers we were nearly booed and laughed out of the airport.  I told my friends that we could wander down to the Heineken Bar if it would make them feel better (that joke was not well received, btw).
Suffice it to say that they have kind of been spoiled for cruising in the future. Getting a little extra special treatment with The Key, having a beautiful aft-facing balcony (and that room really had a lot of space!), a cabana at Coco Cay - I think their expectations for the next cruise will be high (sorry, not sorry).  They are already looking at cruises for next December (7 night Allure). I'm trying to encourage them to do it, even though I might not be able to join them.  I will be starting a new position in April, and I''m not sure that I'll get approval for a week off in October (Group Cruise), November (Odyssey), December (girl's trip?) and January again. It MIGHT be asking too much.
But then again ... YOLO.

Passengers from Ovation of the Seas are among the injured and missing people, and at least one person has died, after a volcano erupted on New Zealand's Whakaari (White Island).
Initial reports suggested 100 visitors were on or near the island at the time of the eruption, but police have since halved the estimate as some of those people have been transported to shore, according to an report in the NZ Herald.
Tourism Bay of Plenty spokeswoman said a helicopter and a tour boat have still not been accounted for, the article states.
The eruption occurred on Monday afternoon around 2.15pm, with several rescue helicopters attending. An emergency operation centre has also been set up at Whakatane Hospital to work alongside Civil Defence.
Royal Caribbean's 4,905-passenger Ovation of the Seas docked at the nearby Port of Tauranga this morning and it is understood that many of the missing tourists were from the ship, visiting White Island on a tour boat. Ovation of the Seas was due to depart this evening but instead will stay in Tauranga tonight.
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson told Cruise Critic: “We can confirm that a number of our guests were touring the island today. We do not have any additional details to share at this time. Ovation of the Seas will remain overnight until we learn more about the situation. We will offer all possible assistance to our guests and local authorities. Please keep all those affected in your prayers.”
New Zealand Cruise Association released a statement that it is "very concerned" about the welfare of the cruisers.
“Our primary concern right now is with the wellbeing of the passengers and all those involved. We would like to extend our heartfelt concern to the passengers and their families,” NZCA Chief Executive Officer Kevin O’Sullivan said. “Our hope is that everyone will be recovered quickly and unharmed, but at this time we have no further information.”

https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/white-island-volcano-eruption-plumes-of-smoke-reports-of-injuries-in-bay-of-plenty/news-story/5cb1553515e0da994d4ad3587df99ff8
An evolving situation, it appears cruisers from Ovation may be caught up in a volcanic eruption at New Zealand's White Island, near the Port of Tauranga.

https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/white-island-volcano-eruption-plumes-of-smoke-reports-of-injuries-in-bay-of-plenty/news-story/5cb1553515e0da994d4ad3587df99ff8
An evolving situation, it appears cruisers from Ovation may be caught up in a volcanic eruption at New Zealand's White Island, near the Port of Tauranga.

After about two hours in the lounge, we made our way to gate 16 and the flight to Miami. The boarding began almost immediately. It took nearly only two minutes, and we were on board. Our seat 43H-K positioned on the right side just above the wing. The legroom was nothing to write home about. And I think the chairs were pretty hard. This flight was sold out to the last seat. Push-off right on time, and after a short taxi, we were in the air at 1.13 pm local time.
As soon as we arrived at cruising altitude, the onboard meals service started. The first part of this is that you hand out menu cards even to us in economy class. We had three options for the main course. After handling out the menu, the staff came with a drink cart through the cabin. All refreshments are free, and the choice fell on a pre-dinner cocktail. Dark rum and ginger ale, we also got a small bag of pretzels. 
Now the holiday has started for real. 
Just before the crew starting the serving, the aircraft entered an area of turbulence shortly after we passed the coast of Ireland. The captain turned on the seatbelt sign, and all meal service ended.
Now the drink started to make its own, and I began to crave some food. I had set my eyes on the chicken with mushrooms. And so had everyone else in coach. When it was our turn to choose food, the chicken option was long gone. What we had to choose from was a vegetarian cauliflower curry, and mac & cheese. Looking at my personal preferences, I do not touch cauliflower, not even with protective gloves. 
So the only option left was the pasta, here is the next problem I don't eat pasta.
So now I sit here with a tray with a small green salad and two crackers, and some cream cheese. Maybe a good thing when going on a cruise. I can say that several people did not get their choice. There were quite upset feelings in the cabin. After I started eating my green salad and biscuits, a steward came by with a cold chicken wrap and a bag of potato chips. As I understood this, this came from the first-class cabin. The staff on board apologized for not getting my first choice, and I said these are my preferences, so it is my choice if I don't eat anything The wrap turned out to be an excellent lunch.
After that, I returned to wrestling with the absolute worst inflight entertainment system I have tried. Touchscreen that does not respond to touch, and an Interface design that asks more questions than it answers. Fortunately, there was one of the old-style wired remote that could control the system.
After about five hours, they passed through the cabin and offered us an ice-pop. After that is was time for the drink cart again. This time the choice just fell on diet coke. I'm going to drive from the airport to the hotel. When we have only about 90 minutes left to landing, the cabin crew started to serve a box called mile-high tea. In this box, you will find a sandwich with mozzarella pesto and arugula — also a scone, clotted cream, and a raspberry jam. I only ate the bottom half of the sandwich. I cannot eat large amounts of bread and pasta after gastric surgery.
Now, finally, we have begun the approach to Miami, and we will land ahead of the timetable.
As soon as the plane had parked, we were out in five minutes. Then it was a pretty short walk to the ESTA machines, and CBP it took about 15 minutes max before we went to pick up the luggage our bags that were already on the band. Next, stop the car rental center. I always use Alamo. We have never had any problems with this company. I always arrange everything in advance, that is: bypass the counter. I do not have to queue, go down and choose the car in the class I want. The choice this time was a Ford Fusion. Brand new with android auto so I connect with the mobile phone. After about 20 minutes after we left the car rental center, we arrived at Holiday inn Express North Kendall.
It is now almost 8 pm, and we have been on the road for 20 hours. Slightly tired after the day, we take the elevator up to the fourth floor where our room. The hotel room is very typical of a holiday Express. Minor wear-and-tear but very clean, and most important of all, the beds are comfortable. While my wife is unpacking stuff, I take the opportunity to order pizza. It's not so much about the fact that we like pizza, but it's simple, and they bring the food to us. It took a maximum of 20 minutes before the pizza guy was here, and he got plenty of tips. It is now 9 pm, and I can no longer keep myself awake. 
It is 3:15 am and I am clearly awake and incredibly craving coffee, jetlag my old friend came to visit. The wife fits asleep while I find the coffee machine in the room, and soon the room is filled with a wonderful scent of God's nectar.
I'm used to getting up at 6am every day, whether it's work or not. So sleeping to 9 has kind of never happened. Because when it is 3am in Miami, it is 9am at home. Think I can start with a nap in the middle of the day.
Today is finally time for the cruise. But first breakfast and shopping at Walmart.
I promise there will be more updates, as I write in Swedish and then translate this into English. Then make sure that the text is correct.

The next update will be later on Sunday.
Thank you for reading, and you who just look at the pictures

The first part of this trip is to London from our home airport Arlanda. 
Arlanda is the largest airport in Sweden. The airport has three runways to compare to Heathrow that has a much larger volume of both ingoing and outgoing traffic.  Flight leaves from terminal five and gate19. Terminal 5 is the main terminal for international flights; some flights also go from terminal two aswell. 

After we passed the airside security checkpoint, we headed straight for the gate. The flight is scheduled to leave at 07:55 local and boarding set to 07:15.  Were are booked into the SAS Go class; this is a no thrills product.
The only complimentary thing onboard is coffee. All other items are for sale; you can pay with points or credit card. No cash is allowed onboard. As we booked into a budget ticket, we did not choose to pay for seat placement.
The seat we got assigned at check-in was 16A/B. I have a fantastic view of the wing and engine. The estimated flight time is only two hours and 20 minutes. That may change if that gets in the infamous figure-eight holding pattern over London.

I love to sit in the window seat, looking at the flaps and that magnificent view over the wing. Today's departure with estimated pushback at 07:55 got delayed. Aircraft is an Airbus A320 Neo, and it almost got that new aircraft smell. As the captain announced, we are good to go.
The taxi time on the runway was short and effective. In a few minutes, we all heard the familiar sounds from the cockpit "Cabin crew take your seats for take-off."
We took off from runway 19R. Woo-hoo, we are on our way. Now the vacation started for real. As I mentioned earlier, the only free item onboard is the coffee. After that fantastic hotel breakfast, a cup of God's nectar is just what I am craving.

When we arrive in London, we have a layover before we can board the last flight of the day.  We have a layover time of 3 hours and 20 minutes. Therefore we have pre-booked access to Aspire Lounge to relax.
Before we can get there, we need to pass the security after taking the ride on the cross terminal buses. After the bus ride, it was time for the airport terminal 3 security checkpoint. I don't get it; we only came off an airplane on the airside. Everyone that's was on this bus has already passed an airside checkpoint. As this is a major hub, the line to the screening was quite long. 
We headed to the Aspire lounge for a pre-flight breakfast beer with a plate of English breakfast. 
The lounge was packed to the brim, pro tip; if you pre-book, you get a reserved table. That's service.
We got assigned a table in a quiet room. Very relaxing if you compare to the central departure hall.  After a plate of food and that small beer, we started to relax and wind down before the 10 hours flight to Miami.
next update in 12 -16 hrs
 

Everything I write here is from my perspective and may not match someone else's opinion. I want to use this time to say that English is not my primary language. This text is a product of nine years in the Swedish elementary school system in the seventies and the eighties. And we all know the seventies were the seventies. You might find some writing and grammar oversights. 
If the number of posts is dropping during the week, we likely have a lot of fun. I'll try to keep adding more and respond to all the questions you may hold. 
You lovely bunch, have likely already seen countless hours of footage from Oasis and hundreds of photos. So please excuse me if you view another picture of sliced roast beef in a kummelweck roll for the 356th time.
I love arranging the holidays as much as I like traveling on them. I am using lots of tools to help stay prepared. My preferred weapon for this is tripit.com. I also keep a binder to keep all documents and a few bits and parts together. I am sure there is a proper diagnosis for my behavior.
So who are we?
My name is Mikael, and I write this.
With me on the trip is as always, my lovely wife for the last 26 years Kerstin. I work as a field service engineer, and my wife is a registered nurse.
We live in a middle-sized area about 21 km northwest of Stockholm, Sweden.
 History and booking:
After our first cruise, on NCL Getaway in 2016. We fell in love with the cruising holiday product. After this, we have been on MSC Divina and Royal Caribbeans Oasis of the seas for a back to back cruise.
We want to cruise more, but the prices for the trans-Atlantic flights and the pre-cruise hotels are draining a hole in our vacation budget.
When we investigated the possibilities to get to the cruise, we had so many choices ranging from direct routes to flights with layovers. The layover flights usually are the more inexpensive alternative. 
After careful searching for a lengthy time, we noticed a ticket sold by Virgin Atlantic with a layover in London Heathrow. For this ticket, we paid almost four hundred USD return. That covered checked bags, and we made this our choice.
We are flying coach class, so we can afford to travel more. Its an uncomplicated equation for us. A few hours of cramped travel equals one more holiday week a year — an absolute win-win for us.
 
Pre-cruise travel Itinerary:
December 6th
Radisson Blu Airport Terminal 
December 7th
07:15 CET - 09:35 GMT ARN - LHR
https://www.flightview.com/flight-tracker/SK/525?date=20191207&depapt=ARN
10:15 GMT -12:05 Club aspire lounge 
12:55 GMT - 18:05 EST LHR - MIA
https://www.flightview.com/flight-tracker/VS/5?date=20191207&depapt=LHR
EDT 19:25 pick up the rental car at Alamo.
EDT 19:45 Arrive at the Holiday Inn Express Miami Airport Doral Area
EDT 20:00 Papa Johns on order 
EDT 21:05 Lights Out.
December 8th
EDT 07:10 Hotel Breakfast.
EDT 08:00 Last Minute Shopping at Walmart and Walgreens.
EDT 11:00 Return the rental at the airport.
EDT 11:15 Board the Almo courtesy bus from the airport to the port. 
EDT 13:00 Raid the buffet and get that bar tab going.
 
With this part completed, let's go forward with our semi-live travel report.
 Although we live so nearby to the airport, we decided to go a day earlier and check-in at the Radisson BLU Arlanda Terminal hotel. I reserved this with points that I have gained during many of my work trips. We had to add breakfast, which is an extra cost at this hotel. The price is about 160 Sek or $ 16 per person. This arrangement is rare for a hotel in Sweden. It may sound like an overprice to pay for a simple breakfast, but this is more like the breakfast in the windjammer than a typical American hotel breakfast.
 
At 7:00 pm, there are only two real possibilities to get to our flight. The first obvious choice is a taxi for about 60 dollars. The second choice is to drive. There is no problem to find a parking space at Arlanda. Pick from outdoor to heated indoor parking. You have to let the wallet decide what right for you. As winter is officially here in Sweden, the choice fell to a covered parking space near the terminal. This cost almost 90 USD for the ten days we are gone. Indoor parking may not be the most affordable option. Still, it sure beats an open-air parking space with the risk for iced windows and a few inches of snow surrounding the car when we return.
 
The drive to the airport was smooth even in the light rain, and we arrived after about 35 minutes.
We drove on a more or less an empty highway to the airport. We pulled up to the indoor parking space and headed up the ramp to the 3rd floor. That gives us direct access to terminal 2. Our first stop today is the Radisson hotel at SkyCity. All terminals on Arlanda airport connects with indoor walkways, and it is a comfortable walk for about 15 minutes. After the check-in at the front desk, we went up to our room. Our room is on the first floor, and we checked out the amenities and bed. After the compulsory bed check, I headed down to the self-service kiosks to get my luggage tags and boarding cards. So we can use the self bag drop at the star alliance area. Time well spent that will give us a few extra minutes to enjoy that pricy breakfast at the hotel.
Now its time for the room tour. This hotel room is not large more on the small size, but it is adequate for a night's sleep.
The room is clean and decorated in a trendy Scandinavian style. The bathroom is bright and tiled from floor to ceiling. Here we will most likely sleep well in the bed that is not in the bathroom. 
We headed down to SkyCity to get something to eat. The choice fell on the restaurant "on my way." And what does a swede eat at the airport, Swedish meatballs of course. That plate of restaurant meatballs with lingonberry and sweet pickled cucumber and the velvet-smooth cream sauce are as good as it gets. After that dinner, we went back to the hotel room to shower and wind down before the early wake-up call.
 
More to follow in tomorrow
 
 

I've called RCI Australia a few times, with different responses.

One that comes to mind was... I had the brilliant idea that I could pay up $2000 AUD in OBC. I could then use this to purchase the beverage package for myself and my partner. If the price of the beverage package then went down, I could cancel, have the OBC instantly refunded, and then purchase at the lower price. The savings would then remain as OBC, which I could use for other purchases, or have refunded at the end of the cruise. Saves having to wait up to two weeks for the credit card refund.

The first time I called, I was told that would work, however I would need to call RCI if I wanted to use my pre-paid OBC for cruise planner purchases, as it would not show in the online cruise planner. No problem with that concept from my end. Discussed it with my partner, and we both decided it was the way to go.

Rang back the next day to execute the plan, only to be told that purchased OBC could only be used after boarding. Explained what the previous consultant had told me, but no dice.

So glad I double checked, or I would have made a big blunder and tied up $2K for nearly a year.

Main point... do more online research and don't trust what RCI tell you on the phone.

I am always grateful to learn new words, so thanks Twangster. Agglomeration.

PS. Nice photos, too!

Thank you so much for the information.  Update just in , we have received email today from RCCL admin apologizing for the delay due to massive increase in requests for drinks package exemptions . They have apparently noted request on our reservation and now we are back to the 1800 phone fun . Hold onto your hats everyone,  we are now trying to get the 1 package at the discounted rate which luckily is still visible in our cart . Will update as soon as we know , good or bad .

I am always grateful to learn new words, so thanks Twangster. Agglomeration.

I am always grateful to learn new words, so thanks Twangster. Agglomeration.

I am always grateful to learn new words, so thanks Twangster. Agglomeration.

As a non_American, the way you guys say this phrase really grinds my gears. RCIfan1912 got it correct.
Sorry CruiseGus, the Grammar Police will let you off with a warning this time ?

Yeah I actually make it a point to say "could not care less". People say it so far or often I don't think they pay attention. 
I really could not care less what someone wears to dinner on a cruise ship on vacation. To each their own. 

Hi everyone, 
I just disembarked from Quantum and indeed, there are NO diamond lounges on board. However, diamond members get to have happy hours drinks at music lounge daily.
Solarium is only for adults. 
Concierge Club, which is on Deck 12 (aft), is only available to suite guests.
Suite guests also have access to a private sun deck that is empty most of the time and this deck offers spectacular view. This sun deck can be accessed by a special stairway that is closed off and only accessible to guests with sea pass cards to suites.
 
 

As mentioned smoking has been banned indoors in New Zealand and Australia for many years and includes cruise ships. Like many here I won't be stepping into the casinos BECAUSE of the smoking during our Harmony trip in February whereas we spent a pretty little penny on our last cruise in the casino on our last cruise out of Australia. 

We successfully completed the mission and launched our rocket!

...with time to spare.

Everyone gets a patch to commemorate the success.

This activity was definitely one of the more worthwhile things I've paid for on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

You may need to go back a screen and highlight (click on) everybody's name. This happened to me too.

Great advice Ashley, thank you. Been enjoying your live blog too!

It's probably about 30 mins a session.  There's checkin and then a video briefing session. Then there's suiting up.  Then there's queuing and waiting for the group ahead to finish.  So you may not be in the same session.  You may be able to finnagle it if there's room and they will get you all in together.  Depends on other no-shows or late arrivals.  It was 8 or 10 in a group if I remember correctly.
Pro tip if you can..have someone not participating take photos for you!  You're not allowed to take your phone with you and you guys are booked too close together to take pics of each other.

Just you ?