F1guynz

The latest RCI for the Pacific region has started today and has some good deals on at the moment

The price of the cruise we were looking at for 2021 on Serenade came down $1000 from yesterday so we have booked.

I am not sure if U.S citizens can book through the Australian website but the pricing is far cheaper than the U.S website for the same sailing, especially when you consider Australia/NZ cruises include gratuities in the cruise fare.

Example for our cruise: US website price for Junior Suite:  $4605USD + $232USD gratuities

Price for the same cabin on the Australian/NZ  website: $5304NZD converted to USD = $3557. Deposits are lower as well.

The only gotcha is you lose your deposit on a NRDB as FCC is not offered on suite bookings (unless you book in NZD but that is a whole other story)

Yes it happened to me also. Like you I just added it back on and it now appears correctly when I logon.

2 hours ago, JennyB said:

what is this? 

If you go into the Notes application and start a new note there a bunch of options across the bottom of the screen. If you tap the + in a circle you will see the option to scan documents. You size the documents and scan with the camera. Once you are happy with your scan you can save the document.

I tend to do this using my iPad rather than my phone as it is easier to see on a larger screen.

As others have said the pool deck can get very hot so some kind of footwear is sensible.

I have also slipped on the pool deck when it has been wet so I would recommend something with a bit of grip as well.

I use the scan function built into my iPhone. It is not as good as a scanner at home but it does an alright job.

You just need a flat surface to take the scan.

I think the RCI promotional material is incorrect. It was actually meant to say up to 97 million spent on the amplified Voyager. This then makes it consistent with the wording usually used when viewing the cruise planner. 

9 hours ago, twangster said:

Voyager might include a cabin refresh

9 hours ago, twangster said:

Presumably a suite lounge is coming and the concierge club is going but that wasn't specifically mentioned

I assume the new suite lounge and outdoor will be somewhere near the Diamond lounge which also has an outdoor area.

It will be a step up from the smallish enclosed room with no view that it currently is.

We need a regional Presidents Cruise to state our case for a full time ship to Susan Bonner.

1 hour ago, mattymay said:

We need our own full time ship! While close to Asia I think most people are more suited to an American influenced ship. Personally, I love Playmakers and watching American sports. I'll continue to spend the extra money and cruise from the U.S. as it's a much better experience in my opinion. I  was all prepared to book a Voyager cruise but now I am going to book Oasis out of Cape Liberty instead! 

I think this is the problem, Asia and Australia/NZ are very different markets.

Generally we want more bars, eateries, shows, entertainment and places to chill around the pool whereas ships out of China / Asia want bigger casinos, don't need bars, don't care for the shows and prefer the buffet.

I don't understand why they could reimagine the ship for the Australian market and have it year round as they already have two other ships for the Asia market.

It would be nice to be able to cruise up to the warm Pacific Islands in July.

I think it is fair to say there has been a mixed reaction to the changes.

From a personal point of view, I was hoping for some new dining venues but according to RCI there are no plans to add new venues. I was hoping for a Izumi hibachi or Hooked.

As they are adding more cabins I am worried things will seem much busier than previously with no new areas to disperse into. 

We don't have kids so don't really care what they do with this area.

I do use the gym everyday so I will be interested to see what that is like.

I was hoping for an Escape room but there is no mention of this.

Sometimes I feel they don't understand what people in Australia / New Zealand market and adapt to local conditions. Playmakers would a perfect venue for this area but then they would load it with U.S sports rather than the local sports we watch.

Don't get me wrong, I am happy they are investing in upgrades but I feel somewhat underwhelmed by these changes.

We are on Independence next, before we go on Voyager to I will have something to compare it to.

I think it will be Thursday here in NZ/AUS and Wednesday in the U.S.

Looking forward to this as we have a holiday booked on her for February next year.

Hi,

i haven’t sailed on Harmony but Royal Class is a range of classes, Sea Class, Sky Class and Star Class

i am sure somebody will correct me if I am wrong but I think a 2 bedroom Grand Suite will be Sky Class. You will get voom surf + stream included but you will not get the drinks package, ultimate dining or a Royal Genie. These are reserved for Star Class guests.

You will get some cool perks though, access to Coastal Kitchen for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Priority embarkation, access to the Suite lounge. You can use the Concierge to make your dinner bookings. If you plan to go to a number of specialty restaurants I suggest you buy a dining package prior to your cruise as this will be cheaper than prices on the ship. 

Hi, 

There is a towel station on the pool deck, an attendant will scan your seapass card and give you as many towels as you need. When you are finished with them return them to the towel station. Your card will be scanned again and they will check in your towels.

Ocassionally they make a mistake and your onboard account will have a $25 charge for an unreturned towel. (It’s only happened to me once). I just went down to guest services and they removed the charge. Pays to check though.

Sometimes there is a towel station down.in the shore excursion area when leaving 5he ship. It works the same way as the pool deck.

I hope this helps.

We normally pick the cruise together, from that point on I monitor the cruise planner and website for any deals and cruise price drops. Anita plans all the port activities, accommodation,  local transport and flights as she really enjoys this part. Sometimes she does this for our friends as well.

I just get the odd question regarding which flight I may prefer and sometimes a choice in activity in port. My usual answer is "I don't mind, whichever you prefer".

The trip is then loaded into Tripit so I know what is happening when.

At the moment she is finalising for trip to the U.K in September for our cruise on Independence.

Here is a photo of the decorations for the cabin.

There is usually an option on the cruise planner to purchase the anniversary package which includes room decorations, pillow covers, a bottle of wine, some tasty treats and a door sign. I got this for my parents who were having their 50 anniversary a couple of years ago.

RCI did not not do anything special for their anniversary.

Sorry forgot to mention you can use the Concierge to books activities like the iFly and North Star.

some of theother perks you will receive are

Free Internet and priority boarding and disembarking, Coastal Kitchen for dinner, priority tendering, the Concierge will also book shows and activities for you. 

You will have to wait in line for bumper cars as only Star Class get priority.

We have sailed with a Grand Suite on Ovation and agree with the above.

The Coastal Kitchen is quite large so it was never busy for breakfast. It also has amazing moves to start the day.

The drinks in the Concierge lounge are between 4:30pm and 8pm. The cruise we were on the Concerirge lounge was quite busy, especially between 4:30pm - 6pm, this is because Concerirge lounges also allow access to Diamond + and Pinnacles.

Even though you have pre-paid gratuities there may still be some tipping required. For example we gave the servers in the Coastal Kitchen and the Concierge lounge. Any drinks you buy without a drinks package will have an 18% gratuity added for “your conveniencce”

You will have a great holiday on Ovation, we have cruised Alaska on Radiance and had a great time.

I love our packing cubes. We have all sorts of sizes and packing envelopes made by Eagle Creek. Love the simplicity of unpacking on the ship. It just a matter of removing the packing cubes and putting them in drawers.

Hi, everything will be in USD.

I have never used a bar on an RCI ship as I don't drink and I always bring enough soft drink so that I don't need to use the bars, however when purchasing drinks on board an 18% gratuity is automatically included.

If you want to tip extra I have tipped in both Australian and US dollars. It is probably easier in USD as the smallest denomination note in Australia is $5.

They often offer 3 day cruises out of Sydney. I have done a couple on Explorer.

Of course once you have done the 3 days you wish it was 4 days.

The crowd is different on a 3 day cruise as there is generally much more drinking and sitting around by the pool. Stag and Hen nights are popular down here. I hear they have stopped offering the drinks packages on these short cruises in Australia as I think too many people were getting their moneys worth.

It is quite good for going to the ice show as there are usually plenty of seats available. 

4 and 5 night are available for booking on our sailing on Independence out of Southampton in September so they haven’t gone for good.

7 hours ago, Andrew72681 said:

Smoke free casinos. 

I pretty sure the casino is in Aus/NZ. I don't recall anyone smoking in them here. Both countries have pretty tight smoking laws so people would not expect to be able to smoke except outside in a designated area.

Hi, I have not seen it open on any of the voyages I have taken on Radiance. It primarily seems to be used as an extension for seating to Windjammers.