F1guynz

The bids are per person so if you bid $500 and win you would pay an extra $1000 on top of the original fare. 3&4 people in the cabin do not pay extra, it is only applicable to the first 2 people in a cabin.

So, does that imply that is either staying in Australia or heading off to Asia?

We have heard from Hailey, who was our genie last year and we have her for our upcoming sailing. So pleased to have her back again for this sailing. Roll on March 1st.

Having to fly from New Zealand we prefer cruising from Brisbane because Quantum is cheaper than Sydney. It allows us to purchase star class cabins at a reasonable price. I guess when Royal releases their next set of deployments in February it will become clearer as to which ships are left for Australia and Asia market.

As I understand it you cannot use diamond vouchers there either but if there is enough feedback in the surveys, they may change the policy.

Hi, there is no pictures attached to your post so I have just posted general information. Luggage tags will be part of the pre-cruise documents you will get sent a few weeks before your cruise. You can buy luggage tag holders on Amazon to put them in and affix to your bags or you can just staple the ones you print directly around your luggage handles.

Chris has started uploading his startup series of videos. Very well done and definitely worth a watch.

I was watching Danny from Harr Travel who is sailing in the Royal Loft Suite on this cruise and he mentioned the ship is sailing at 80% capacity.

They didn’t for me. They just switched wine for mocktails instead. I believe it is possible to get a reduced price but you have to book onboard rather than through the cruise planner though It might be possible to change it prior to cruising by contacting Royal directly or through a travel agent. On another occasion when we sailed Star Class Chefs Table was included (with an up-charge for Alcohol) but because I don’t drink they did not up-charge me so there was nothing additional to pay.

Hi, there was no special line for re-boarding the ship after shore excursions, we had to queue for the tender and security once back on board.

My only thought was as it is meant to be going to Singapore for dry-dock that maybe the timelines have moved a bit. Is this when they are going to fix the Northstar do you think?

I have lucky with 2 of our cancelations, we actually ended up with similar itinararies but more nights for the same price. i agree though, that is a bit of a crap shoot as to whether you get a better offer.

When I use my iPad I notice I get an ad at the bottom of the screen. Until I read this thread I had never noticed the ad there before so I am not very observant. I don’t use the site on my phone so maybe if I did I would be more distracted by the ads.

Hi, you will get an email from Royal with all your cruise documents which will include cruise documents. You will also be able to find them in the app at this time. even if you don’t print them before the cruise the porters will label the bags when you drop them off.

I was surprised as well. I assume they follow a similar process to Royal so the fact the ship is still at the ship yard must mean there is a work to complete and then coast guard approval and maybe test sailings. Princess haven’t cancelled the 18th cruise but I suspect it would be ambitious to be ready by then as well.

Hi, sorry to hear your cruise has been cancelled. When offering an alternative cruise I have always found it to be the same length of longer at the lowest price. It is complicated by the fact your cruise is lengthy so the only near equivalent sailing will be Ovation which is likely fully booked. what replacement cruise itineraries have Royal offered? This ia a quote from an email we have received previously for a cancelled cruise. “We invite you to transfer your reservation to one of the below selected sailings, in like accommodations, at the protected/lowest available cruise fare. Price protection is limited to the cruise fare only. Taxes, fees, gratuities and other non-cruise fare items are subject to prevailing rates” ‘In the event that the alternative cruises are not suitable you also have the option of transferring your booking to another cruise at prevailing rates. ‘“Alternatively, you may transfer your booking to any other Royal Caribbean sailing at the prevailing rate (not prevailing promotions.)” You should also receive some on board credit. Regardless of the sailing you choose, selected sailing or not, you will receive US$100 onboard credit per standard stateroom or US$200 onboard credit per suite (as per your original stateroom category.)

Originally scheduled to sail 8th February. Very upsetting for those who were booked on the inaugural sailing. New Princess Cruise Ship Delayed, Inaugural Voyage Cancelled (cruisehive.com)

Details here. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/08/02/royal-caribbeans-royalup-guide-tips-and-tricks

Part of the issue is that apart from P&O there is really any genuine year-round cruising. Royal is usually here from October - April then gone as are most other cruise lines. I am thinking of trying MEI travel for our next set of cruise bookings in 2026 when they are released. Just need to factor in exchange rate, fact that gratuities are included in the fare etc. to see if the pricing works out similarly. As cruises get closer it would be nice to have the option to upgrade without using Royal Up but I have always found that an existing cruise cannot be adjusted so they have to cancel and rebook forfeiting the deposit.

We don't really use travel agents down here as some charge fees and there are no longer any cruise specialist agencies (they all shut down as result of the pandemic). When there were they used to charge fees on top of Royal's. Always book direct with Royal and have never had any issues using them.

I remember the time many years ago when you could just upgrade your cabin or switch cabin numbers the website without having to call someone. The price of progress I guess, you now have to spend more time doing something that used to be simple.

Thanks for the suggestion. We have booked here for our September 2024 cruise.

Reminds me of the $10,000 18ct gold Apple watch that is now obsolete. Nice gimmick but just not worth the money.

It is "free" on port days but on sea days there is a charge, but you do get extra time flight time as compensation. (like North Star is free on port days but does not go from side to side like sea days).

All checked in ready to sail, Royal Up bids submitted just on the off chance. Next step will be hearing from our genie.