F1guynz

Ha, I would be the same exact way!

In the psychology of marketing you have the "decoy effect."  The 10-night dining option is the decoy and the unlimited dining package is the target.  By making the two closely matched in pricing, "it only makes sense" (for most people) to buy the more expensive target purchase.  It's a "better deal" in the sense that you get more value per dollar compared to the decoy.  But the target is more expensive.
I love that @WAAAYTOOO found a logical reason to buy the cheaper option.  

For us, it isn’t a matter of $$, it comes down to the matter of choice.  We are doing the 10 night package on our Panama Canal cruise b/c when I have the UDP I always feel compelled to stick with the specialty venues.  I recognize that I CAN choose to skip a meal, go to the WJ or the MDR but I don’t…b/c I’ve paid for that specialty meal and dammit, I’m gonna use it !
If we were on a bigger ship, with more specialty dining options, maybe.  But Radiance has so few and the thought of repeating the same ones over and over again for dinners AND lunches ?  It’s just not enough variety.  With the 10 night package we can feel free to make some different choices and, God forbid, actually SKIP a meal every now and then !
In full disclosure, I purchased a couple of individual lunches for this sailing when they were really cheap, so I have, what comes pretty close to the UDP anyway.  I have no idea whether I overspent or not and I don’t intend to calculate it.  Those lunches have been paid for, for months.  I’m sticking’ with what I’ve got.  🤣😂🤣. Food coma is a comfortable emotional place for us !  😂🤣

I agree, it does not make sense since the UDP of course opens up lunches and snacks (eg. Playmaker's). 
On our upcoming 11-night Odyssey sailing in JAN, the UDP is back on sale at $290.99 pp while the 5-night is $187.99. The extra $103 pp is well worth the upgrade in our case too especially with 6 sea days plus embarkation day to book lunches.

Not too surprising for Royal.

There is a 10 night package for our 16 night Panama Canal cruise (Radiance) in October.  

@twangster i was hoping maybe they would do one or two cruises to Fiji or Samoa as Celebrity goes there but it does make the cruise slightly longer. Also to be fair that does sail from NZ which Royal has not done for many years. Not sure if it would be viable from Brisbane.
I think there was also some hope there might be Lepepa on the itinerary but that is more likely for the 27/28 season if the construction gets under way.

I am not sure what is the maximum size of cruise ship that could visit Fiji. I know Princess and Carnival both go there as well as Celebrity.
My soft spot is for Independence class as it is slightly bigger than Voyager and has a good mix of amenities on the ship.
The main reason I think Quantum is overrated is because when you dig a little deeper the attractions are more flashy than substantive.
Once you have North Star there is no compulsion to do it again, the bumper cars are okay, the iFly was okay but I don’t bother doing it anymore. Apart from Wonderland the other restaurants also okay but Izumi feels like you are sitting in a corridor. I miss the ice shows and mini golf. I realise this is all subjective as others may love the iFly. Having stayed in the RLS suite twice on Quantum I will say this was a highlight.
 

I am not sure what is the maximum size of cruise ship that could visit Fiji. I know Princess and Carnival both go there as well as Celebrity.
My soft spot is for Independence class as it is slightly bigger than Voyager and has a good mix of amenities on the ship.
The main reason I think Quantum is overrated is because when you dig a little deeper the attractions are more flashy than substantive.
Once you have North Star there is no compulsion to do it again, the bumper cars are okay, the iFly was okay but I don’t bother doing it anymore. Apart from Wonderland the other restaurants also okay but Izumi feels like you are sitting in a corridor. I miss the ice shows and mini golf. I realise this is all subjective as others may love the iFly. Having stayed in the RLS suite twice on Quantum I will say this was a highlight.
 

I am not sure what is the maximum size of cruise ship that could visit Fiji. I know Princess and Carnival both go there as well as Celebrity.
My soft spot is for Independence class as it is slightly bigger than Voyager and has a good mix of amenities on the ship.
The main reason I think Quantum is overrated is because when you dig a little deeper the attractions are more flashy than substantive.
Once you have North Star there is no compulsion to do it again, the bumper cars are okay, the iFly was okay but I don’t bother doing it anymore. Apart from Wonderland the other restaurants also okay but Izumi feels like you are sitting in a corridor. I miss the ice shows and mini golf. I realise this is all subjective as others may love the iFly. Having stayed in the RLS suite twice on Quantum I will say this was a highlight.
 

I thought the pricing looked pretty good on Quantum but I am interested in seeing Singapore also.
Its really hard to get away from Quantum class ships which are my least favourite.

@twangster i was hoping maybe they would do one or two cruises to Fiji or Samoa as Celebrity goes there but it does make the cruise slightly longer. Also to be fair that does sail from NZ which Royal has not done for many years. Not sure if it would be viable from Brisbane.
I think there was also some hope there might be Lepepa on the itinerary but that is more likely for the 27/28 season if the construction gets under way.

I thought the pricing looked pretty good on Quantum but I am interested in seeing Singapore also.
Its really hard to get away from Quantum class ships which are my least favourite.

NSW dodged a bullet when a pink Godzilla chose not to attack Sydney

WE have booked our first cruise on Celebrity Edge in 2026.
Looking forward to a different experience as Royal has kept getting more expensive and there is not much variety in the way of ships and itineraries, always Quantum class and/or Voyager class.
I'm especially looking forward to trying their specialty dining options as Chops menu never changes.

G'Day from Brisbane.  


I had a decent view of the Botany Bay cargo port in Sydney while landing before connecting to Brisbane.


It's a rather industrial looking area but then again most US cruise ports are industrial in nature.  Miami, Port Everglades, Cape Liberty, San Pedro, Seattle to name a few, like Brisbane and many cruise ports around the world, cruise terminals often piggyback onto existing deep water cargo ports which are industrial in nature. 
Port Everglades, the first Oasis class home port ever is a secure marine deep water cargo port due to its role in the fuel supply for South Florida requiring a vehicle security inspection just to get into the port area.  Once within the port there are no tourist venues of any kind.
We are lucky in Port Canaveral that Royal has terminal one right beside tourist venues by foot.  The rest of Port Canaveral including the cruise terminals on the other side of the port are out of luck without a shuttle or any transit to get to the touristy side.  That's usually where Voyager class end up.  
The charm of cruising from Sydney has always been Circular Quay with easy access to tourist venues, hotels and transit all by foot with beautiful views for sail away.  If a cruise terminal was added to Botany Bay it seems most of that Sydney charm would be gone for cruisers.
For what it's worth, a source at the port in Brisbane told me that while the first season left some room for improvement, Quantum's season that is just ending has been successful typically over double occupancy (100%) capacity all season long and many times approaching SOLAS maximum capacity.
If that is the case you can see why they are bringing Quantum back.  Don't mess with success.

Australia getting their cruise deployment schedule before Singapore?! Who are you and what have you done with Royal Caribbean

IFly is free during port days with a shorter flight time but on sea days costs $29.
The same is true for North Star which costs $19 on sea days.

One issue is they never tender Oasis ships because of their size so that would severely limit the itineraries. 

One issue is they never tender Oasis ships because of their size so that would severely limit the itineraries. 

Oasis of the Seas is 15 years old. I would take that one. 🙂
 

After tonight, Dancing Drums is my favourite slot in the casino. On Quantum tonight and won the grand jackpot, my first ever jackpot win in any casino.
@CHRIS WONG is the casino host on this trip, so I think I will have to cruise with him more often for good luck.

Most machines in the casino seem to be high volatility but I did find one Top Dollar slot which was low to medium volatility and picked up $80.
People are enticed by the flashy machines and high jackpots so games like Top Dollar are usually free and you can play them for a long time without damaging the bankroll too much.
I do like my DD as I did quite well on Harmony when I first played it. That is why I sought it out on Quantum. (Thanks Harmony)
 

Most machines in the casino seem to be high volatility but I did find one Top Dollar slot which was low to medium volatility and picked up $80.
People are enticed by the flashy machines and high jackpots so games like Top Dollar are usually free and you can play them for a long time without damaging the bankroll too much.
I do like my DD as I did quite well on Harmony when I first played it. That is why I sought it out on Quantum. (Thanks Harmony)
 

Most machines in the casino seem to be high volatility but I did find one Top Dollar slot which was low to medium volatility and picked up $80.
People are enticed by the flashy machines and high jackpots so games like Top Dollar are usually free and you can play them for a long time without damaging the bankroll too much.
I do like my DD as I did quite well on Harmony when I first played it. That is why I sought it out on Quantum. (Thanks Harmony)