F1guynz

We are back from our cruise on Ovation of the Seas Singapore to Sydney cruise. Although we enjoyed our cruise I must confess to being slightly dissapointed with some aspects of it. We were in Grand Suite 12646 which was very near the centre of the ship. The cabin was very nice but felt smaller than the Grand Suites we usually have on Voyager and Radiance class although the balcony was the biggest we have had so far. The cabin possibly felt smaller due to the wall the traversed the cabin. The Voyager class cabins do not have this wall and feel much more open and spacious.
On this cruise there was an outbreak of Norovirus which happened on the second day. Eventually around 200 people contracted the virus although we never knew anyone who did. Because of the number of cases the food and drinks area access was restricted and the crew served all drinks and food.
With a few exceptions most people excepted it in good humour and it didn’t really make the news until we reached Hobart.
The Itinerary
Singapore, Perth (day 6), Adelaide (day 10), Hobart (day 12), Sydney (day 14)
Embarkation
This was one of the one of our disappointments. Prior to the cruise RCI had sent us numerous emails advising we would be using an expedited boarding process where queues would be a thing on the past and we would be onboard the ship in minutes if we showed up at our allotted time. The reality was someone different and the the embarkation time was the longest we have ever experienced. There were a few reason for this. There was a Suite queue so this got us to the initial checkin desk reasonably quickly but there were delays from this point on. My partner has an electronic visa for getting into Australia but the RCI team wanted a paper copy of this electronic visa. We had to spend 20 minutes trying to logon to their WiFi to log onto the Australian Immigration website to prove that she had an electronic visa. When they went to provide the seapass cards they had the wrong names printed on them so they spent some time sorting that out. This happened to quite a few people and slowed things a bit. 
Once this process was completed we then had to go through the customs processing which also took some time as there were no express lines for suites. Once customs processing was complete there was another area which was broken into colours but it wasn’t really clear what was meant to happen here so we asked for assistance and were told to sit in the pink area. After a little while nothing seemed to be happening so we got up and went over to another queue to see if we could board and they let us on. The whole process took about about 1 1/2 hours. We we scheduled to board at 11:30 but is was closer to 1pm.
The length of time was irritating but what is actually annoying is the fact that RCI sent at least 3 emails saying how great their expedited boarding process was raising our expectations of an improved experience when the reality was way below the expectation RCI had set
The Ship
The ship was great, modern and clean with many great features. Once we were aboard we headed upstairs for our first Coastal Kitchen experience and we were not disappointed. Anita had the sirloin steak and I had the roast chicken and both were delicious. The CK was to become one of our go to locations for breakfast and dinner. It was one of our favourite aspects of the ship.
After eating at CK we went to the Seaplex were the bumper cars were in action so we got in on that as there were not many people around at this stage. They were great fun and we would play in them a few times on the cruise as there were many sea days.
Walking from one end of the ship to the other made for plenty of exercise as it is only about 20 metres shorter than an Oasis ship. There were two sets of elevators, one at the front, the other in the centre. The main hassle with this (not for us) was for people such as the elderly couple in the Royal Loft Suite at the aft on the 10th floor. It meant when they wanted to use the suite lounge they had to walk to the middle of the ship to catch the elevators to deck 12 then walk all the way back to the rear of the ship again.
The main common areas on the ship were deck 3 (the casino) deck 4 (Cafe Promenade, Theatre, Pub, Sorentos) deck 5 (Restaurants, Two70 lounge, Bionic Bar) Deck 12 (Concierge Lounge) deck 14 (Windjammer, Coastal Kitchen, Pool deck, Solarium) deck 15 (Seaplex) deck 16 (iFly, Flow Rider)
The Cabin
As I said the cabin was a Grand Suite on deck 12. It was nice but quite noisy, not from the elevators, or the cabins on deck 13, but from whatever was happening on deck 14. The noise carried on through the night on most days so if you don’t like noise I would suggest taking a cabin on a lower deck. That is what we will do next time.
Our room steward was fine and always did an excellent job keeping the cabin clean.
The Passengers
As this was a repositioning cruise the age of the passengers was older than we were used to seeing on a Royal Caribbean ship. They came mainly from Australia with 3200 out of the 4000 coming from there. There seemed to be a lot of repeat cruisers as there were 561 diamonds and 261 Diamond plus. RCI had to use the Music Hall as well as the Diamond Lounge for the nightly drinks. Because there were a lot of Diamond plus the concierge lounge was always full. One of them even complaining that Suite guests got the same privileges as a D+. In future on long cruises like this I think RCI needs to consider limiting access as Suite guests could not find seating due to the number of D+ in the lounge (maybe until after 6pm)
There were a few kids on the cruise but not that many as the school year has not ended in this part of the world yet.
We met a lovely old couple who had been upgraded twice by RCI first from a balcony cabin to a Grand Loft Suite, then from the Grand Loft Suite to the Royal Loft Suite. Some of the other D+ were not happy about this and thought they should have been upgraded twice. There were 15 pinnacles on this cruise but none were upgraded. I think the reason this couple were upgraded was because of their age, as the other Loft Suite guests were also of a similar age and when they were all having dinner together it just works better.
Entertainment
Three production shows consisted of Pixels, Live Love Legs and Beautiful Dream.
The Pixels show was not too bad but the Two70 lounge had poor sight lines so quite often you could only see the tops of the heads of the dancers. There were some seating around the dance floor but the seating was quite uncomfortable on these seats. They only have really short backs and you can’t lean back meaning you have to sit bolt upright for the show or the seat digs into your lower back.
Live Love Legs and Beautiful Dream were competent enough shows but not particularly memorable apart from the sets for Beautiful Dream which were quite impressive. I still find it annoying that even though we pay a high premium to travel on this ship it’s does not have Broadway shows for the Australian season. Sorry this is one of my pet peeves about this ship.
The Cruise Director Mike Hannerup was okay but not that great either. The Hotel Director was very funny and would have made a great cruise director. This is very subjective and I am sure you could find passengers who love Mike as well.
The other headline acts were also a bit hit or miss although we really enjoyed Phil Cass (comedic magician) and the U2 tribute band. They played at both the music hall and Two70. They were definitely better in the Music Hall as it is more intimate and people were really getting into it. Two70 the acoustics were not as good and this detracted from the vibe.
Food
Due to the Norovirus outbreak we did really go to the Windjammer to see what that was like. We purchased the 5 night dining package (another annoyance that you couldn’t purchase this on the cruise planner prior to the cruise) and went to Izumi, Wonderland, Jamie’s Italian and Chops Grill.
We went to Izumi on the second night but I didn’t really enjoy it as I am not a big fan of Sushi. At least I have tried it and know now to avoid it in future.
next up was Jamie’s Italian which we really enjoyed. We went there twice on this cruise and it was really popular every night. Some of the meals are quite large so I would recommend skipping lunch or having a very light lunch on the day you are booked. The same is true of Wonderland which we also really enjoyed. We followed the waiters recommendation and let them select the menu and we were not disappointed. If you go in with an open mind when it comes to the food I think you will come away happy (and full)
Chops Grille was its usual reliable self and the selection of menu options was greater than we have seen on the smaller ships. No complaints from us.
Johnny Rockets was replaced by Kung Fu Panda but this was not really popular and nobody really used it.
i think all the dining options on this ship is one of the highlights (including Izumi if you like Japanese) and is the best variety we have had on a ship.
Some people don’t like the upcharge but I don’t mind as it limits the number of people who will dine at these venues.
Onboard Activities
These were another plus for this ship. Anita didn’t enjoy the iFly but I went on it a few times and loved it. It was interesting to see the range of people who tried it. Most came away with wide smiles on their faces. The Flow Rider wasn’t very busy this cruise and 5-10 minutes seemed to be the average wait time although there were occasions when only 2-3 were using it during the open sessions.
North Star was always popular but it only went up and down. It was meant to side to side as well but apparently the wind was too strong.
Bumper cars were really popular and the queue went right around the whole Seaplex. This caused some issues as the wait time was around 1 hour and people just pushed into the queue. This queue needs to be managed better as one lady was pushed over and hit her head on the floor. Maybe it should be like the Ice Show on Explorer where you have some kind of ticketing system. It you turned up closer to the end of the session the queue was much shorter so I guess people just go when the session first starts.
There is an Escape Room on the ship was not up and running for this cruise. Another annoyance as I really wanted to try this.
We did the All Access tour and had a great time doing this. Luckily we did it early on in the cruise and they cancelled later bookings because of the Norovirus.
i admit I did miss the mini golf and the Shows in the Ice Rink but there is on,y so much space on the ship.
The Crew
The crew were fantastic as always, especially the team at Coastal Kitchen and in the Concierge Lounge. Due to the Norovirus outbreak there was heightened cleaning and hand sanitising going on at all times. Some passengers were very rude to people just doing their job, I heard one passenger in the lounge telling the crew member “don’t come anywhere near me” when he was told he would have to sanitise his hands prior to getting any food.
The captain was always around, in fact more than I seen on any other ship. He could be found in Two70 lounge, North Star, Concierge Lounge and other places just walking around.
The only issue I had was with the tailor. The shirt I had ordered with my tux was to big so Bing (our awesome Concierge) rang to see when he would be able to come and measure for a replacement. He was busy at that time so he said he would be free at 10:00am and would come to our cabin then. By 10:30am he still hadn’t shown up so I went to see Bing again and she gave him another call. He told her he was busy and didn’t have time to come now. Bing gave him a telling off and he eventually showed up at 1pm and everything was sorted.
The Ports - all docked
Perth - We got off in Fremantle which is about a 40 minute train ride from the city centre. We did this ourselves as it is much cheaper than a ship tour. We walked around the city for a while before heading back to Fremantle for lunch. Fremantle is a great little town with some awesome views of the ocean while you are eating your fish and chips.
Adelaide - we did a ship tour for this one out to Historic Handolf, a German settlement in the hills. It is quite a long coach trip (around hour and a half) each way so you only get to spend a couple of hours in Handolf itself. If you want to look in all the shops and have lunch then you will be pushed for time, otherwise it is a nice place to spend some time. It was busy as there were about 14 coaches from the ship in the village at the same time.
Hobart - We didn’t do much in Hobart other than get off the ship and have a wander. We have been here before and done most things on offer. I recommend going to Port Arthur to see the original penal colony or doing one of the wild life parks if you are ever in Hobart.
Disembarkation
Not much to say about this other than it was smooth and quick. We had to vacate our rooms by 7:30am as the entire ship was being deep cleaned before the next cruise due to the norovirus. We had a final breakfast at Coastal Kitchen and said goodbye to everybody there.
Medical
There were ambulances waiting in each port we stopped at to take off a few people to sick to continue after contracting Norovirus
There was one helicopter medical evacuation of a crew member who needed urgent medical attention. There is no helipad so he had to be winched to the helicopter. He made a full recovery.
Final Thoughts
We enjoyed our cruise but I still feel it was overpriced for the experience we received. We would still do it again but only if we got a better deal on the cabin pricing. I am better at doing that now that when we originally booked so I am confident we could get it for a better price. Next time we would also look at going from Sydney to Singapore as this goes up the other side of Australia and we would get so see some different ports and scenery.
Thanks for reading

We are back from our cruise on Ovation of the Seas Singapore to Sydney cruise. Although we enjoyed our cruise I must confess to being slightly dissapointed with some aspects of it. We were in Grand Suite 12646 which was very near the centre of the ship. The cabin was very nice but felt smaller than the Grand Suites we usually have on Voyager and Radiance class although the balcony was the biggest we have had so far. The cabin possibly felt smaller due to the wall the traversed the cabin. The Voyager class cabins do not have this wall and feel much more open and spacious.
On this cruise there was an outbreak of Norovirus which happened on the second day. Eventually around 200 people contracted the virus although we never knew anyone who did. Because of the number of cases the food and drinks area access was restricted and the crew served all drinks and food.
With a few exceptions most people excepted it in good humour and it didn’t really make the news until we reached Hobart.
The Itinerary
Singapore, Perth (day 6), Adelaide (day 10), Hobart (day 12), Sydney (day 14)
Embarkation
This was one of the one of our disappointments. Prior to the cruise RCI had sent us numerous emails advising we would be using an expedited boarding process where queues would be a thing on the past and we would be onboard the ship in minutes if we showed up at our allotted time. The reality was someone different and the the embarkation time was the longest we have ever experienced. There were a few reason for this. There was a Suite queue so this got us to the initial checkin desk reasonably quickly but there were delays from this point on. My partner has an electronic visa for getting into Australia but the RCI team wanted a paper copy of this electronic visa. We had to spend 20 minutes trying to logon to their WiFi to log onto the Australian Immigration website to prove that she had an electronic visa. When they went to provide the seapass cards they had the wrong names printed on them so they spent some time sorting that out. This happened to quite a few people and slowed things a bit. 
Once this process was completed we then had to go through the customs processing which also took some time as there were no express lines for suites. Once customs processing was complete there was another area which was broken into colours but it wasn’t really clear what was meant to happen here so we asked for assistance and were told to sit in the pink area. After a little while nothing seemed to be happening so we got up and went over to another queue to see if we could board and they let us on. The whole process took about about 1 1/2 hours. We we scheduled to board at 11:30 but is was closer to 1pm.
The length of time was irritating but what is actually annoying is the fact that RCI sent at least 3 emails saying how great their expedited boarding process was raising our expectations of an improved experience when the reality was way below the expectation RCI had set
The Ship
The ship was great, modern and clean with many great features. Once we were aboard we headed upstairs for our first Coastal Kitchen experience and we were not disappointed. Anita had the sirloin steak and I had the roast chicken and both were delicious. The CK was to become one of our go to locations for breakfast and dinner. It was one of our favourite aspects of the ship.
After eating at CK we went to the Seaplex were the bumper cars were in action so we got in on that as there were not many people around at this stage. They were great fun and we would play in them a few times on the cruise as there were many sea days.
Walking from one end of the ship to the other made for plenty of exercise as it is only about 20 metres shorter than an Oasis ship. There were two sets of elevators, one at the front, the other in the centre. The main hassle with this (not for us) was for people such as the elderly couple in the Royal Loft Suite at the aft on the 10th floor. It meant when they wanted to use the suite lounge they had to walk to the middle of the ship to catch the elevators to deck 12 then walk all the way back to the rear of the ship again.
The main common areas on the ship were deck 3 (the casino) deck 4 (Cafe Promenade, Theatre, Pub, Sorentos) deck 5 (Restaurants, Two70 lounge, Bionic Bar) Deck 12 (Concierge Lounge) deck 14 (Windjammer, Coastal Kitchen, Pool deck, Solarium) deck 15 (Seaplex) deck 16 (iFly, Flow Rider)
The Cabin
As I said the cabin was a Grand Suite on deck 12. It was nice but quite noisy, not from the elevators, or the cabins on deck 13, but from whatever was happening on deck 14. The noise carried on through the night on most days so if you don’t like noise I would suggest taking a cabin on a lower deck. That is what we will do next time.
Our room steward was fine and always did an excellent job keeping the cabin clean.
The Passengers
As this was a repositioning cruise the age of the passengers was older than we were used to seeing on a Royal Caribbean ship. They came mainly from Australia with 3200 out of the 4000 coming from there. There seemed to be a lot of repeat cruisers as there were 561 diamonds and 261 Diamond plus. RCI had to use the Music Hall as well as the Diamond Lounge for the nightly drinks. Because there were a lot of Diamond plus the concierge lounge was always full. One of them even complaining that Suite guests got the same privileges as a D+. In future on long cruises like this I think RCI needs to consider limiting access as Suite guests could not find seating due to the number of D+ in the lounge (maybe until after 6pm)
There were a few kids on the cruise but not that many as the school year has not ended in this part of the world yet.
We met a lovely old couple who had been upgraded twice by RCI first from a balcony cabin to a Grand Loft Suite, then from the Grand Loft Suite to the Royal Loft Suite. Some of the other D+ were not happy about this and thought they should have been upgraded twice. There were 15 pinnacles on this cruise but none were upgraded. I think the reason this couple were upgraded was because of their age, as the other Loft Suite guests were also of a similar age and when they were all having dinner together it just works better.
Entertainment
Three production shows consisted of Pixels, Live Love Legs and Beautiful Dream.
The Pixels show was not too bad but the Two70 lounge had poor sight lines so quite often you could only see the tops of the heads of the dancers. There were some seating around the dance floor but the seating was quite uncomfortable on these seats. They only have really short backs and you can’t lean back meaning you have to sit bolt upright for the show or the seat digs into your lower back.
Live Love Legs and Beautiful Dream were competent enough shows but not particularly memorable apart from the sets for Beautiful Dream which were quite impressive. I still find it annoying that even though we pay a high premium to travel on this ship it’s does not have Broadway shows for the Australian season. Sorry this is one of my pet peeves about this ship.
The Cruise Director Mike Hannerup was okay but not that great either. The Hotel Director was very funny and would have made a great cruise director. This is very subjective and I am sure you could find passengers who love Mike as well.
The other headline acts were also a bit hit or miss although we really enjoyed Phil Cass (comedic magician) and the U2 tribute band. They played at both the music hall and Two70. They were definitely better in the Music Hall as it is more intimate and people were really getting into it. Two70 the acoustics were not as good and this detracted from the vibe.
Food
Due to the Norovirus outbreak we did really go to the Windjammer to see what that was like. We purchased the 5 night dining package (another annoyance that you couldn’t purchase this on the cruise planner prior to the cruise) and went to Izumi, Wonderland, Jamie’s Italian and Chops Grill.
We went to Izumi on the second night but I didn’t really enjoy it as I am not a big fan of Sushi. At least I have tried it and know now to avoid it in future.
next up was Jamie’s Italian which we really enjoyed. We went there twice on this cruise and it was really popular every night. Some of the meals are quite large so I would recommend skipping lunch or having a very light lunch on the day you are booked. The same is true of Wonderland which we also really enjoyed. We followed the waiters recommendation and let them select the menu and we were not disappointed. If you go in with an open mind when it comes to the food I think you will come away happy (and full)
Chops Grille was its usual reliable self and the selection of menu options was greater than we have seen on the smaller ships. No complaints from us.
Johnny Rockets was replaced by Kung Fu Panda but this was not really popular and nobody really used it.
i think all the dining options on this ship is one of the highlights (including Izumi if you like Japanese) and is the best variety we have had on a ship.
Some people don’t like the upcharge but I don’t mind as it limits the number of people who will dine at these venues.
Onboard Activities
These were another plus for this ship. Anita didn’t enjoy the iFly but I went on it a few times and loved it. It was interesting to see the range of people who tried it. Most came away with wide smiles on their faces. The Flow Rider wasn’t very busy this cruise and 5-10 minutes seemed to be the average wait time although there were occasions when only 2-3 were using it during the open sessions.
North Star was always popular but it only went up and down. It was meant to side to side as well but apparently the wind was too strong.
Bumper cars were really popular and the queue went right around the whole Seaplex. This caused some issues as the wait time was around 1 hour and people just pushed into the queue. This queue needs to be managed better as one lady was pushed over and hit her head on the floor. Maybe it should be like the Ice Show on Explorer where you have some kind of ticketing system. It you turned up closer to the end of the session the queue was much shorter so I guess people just go when the session first starts.
There is an Escape Room on the ship was not up and running for this cruise. Another annoyance as I really wanted to try this.
We did the All Access tour and had a great time doing this. Luckily we did it early on in the cruise and they cancelled later bookings because of the Norovirus.
i admit I did miss the mini golf and the Shows in the Ice Rink but there is on,y so much space on the ship.
The Crew
The crew were fantastic as always, especially the team at Coastal Kitchen and in the Concierge Lounge. Due to the Norovirus outbreak there was heightened cleaning and hand sanitising going on at all times. Some passengers were very rude to people just doing their job, I heard one passenger in the lounge telling the crew member “don’t come anywhere near me” when he was told he would have to sanitise his hands prior to getting any food.
The captain was always around, in fact more than I seen on any other ship. He could be found in Two70 lounge, North Star, Concierge Lounge and other places just walking around.
The only issue I had was with the tailor. The shirt I had ordered with my tux was to big so Bing (our awesome Concierge) rang to see when he would be able to come and measure for a replacement. He was busy at that time so he said he would be free at 10:00am and would come to our cabin then. By 10:30am he still hadn’t shown up so I went to see Bing again and she gave him another call. He told her he was busy and didn’t have time to come now. Bing gave him a telling off and he eventually showed up at 1pm and everything was sorted.
The Ports - all docked
Perth - We got off in Fremantle which is about a 40 minute train ride from the city centre. We did this ourselves as it is much cheaper than a ship tour. We walked around the city for a while before heading back to Fremantle for lunch. Fremantle is a great little town with some awesome views of the ocean while you are eating your fish and chips.
Adelaide - we did a ship tour for this one out to Historic Handolf, a German settlement in the hills. It is quite a long coach trip (around hour and a half) each way so you only get to spend a couple of hours in Handolf itself. If you want to look in all the shops and have lunch then you will be pushed for time, otherwise it is a nice place to spend some time. It was busy as there were about 14 coaches from the ship in the village at the same time.
Hobart - We didn’t do much in Hobart other than get off the ship and have a wander. We have been here before and done most things on offer. I recommend going to Port Arthur to see the original penal colony or doing one of the wild life parks if you are ever in Hobart.
Disembarkation
Not much to say about this other than it was smooth and quick. We had to vacate our rooms by 7:30am as the entire ship was being deep cleaned before the next cruise due to the norovirus. We had a final breakfast at Coastal Kitchen and said goodbye to everybody there.
Medical
There were ambulances waiting in each port we stopped at to take off a few people to sick to continue after contracting Norovirus
There was one helicopter medical evacuation of a crew member who needed urgent medical attention. There is no helipad so he had to be winched to the helicopter. He made a full recovery.
Final Thoughts
We enjoyed our cruise but I still feel it was overpriced for the experience we received. We would still do it again but only if we got a better deal on the cabin pricing. I am better at doing that now that when we originally booked so I am confident we could get it for a better price. Next time we would also look at going from Sydney to Singapore as this goes up the other side of Australia and we would get so see some different ports and scenery.
Thanks for reading

It varies by sailing.  Sometimes a month, sometimes many months.
For anything in the cruise planner, we recommend booking as soon as you can.  Why?  If sales come up that reduces the cost of cruise-planner items (Voom, drink packages, etc) you can cancel and repurchase them at the lower price.  If however you wait and the prices go up, then you're stuck paying the higher cost.
Hope this helps!

Northstar and Ripcord never came up as an option for our cruise on Ovation sailing from Singapore next week. RCCL does change their operating procedures for the Asian market which is why I think they are not available on our cruise planner. We also only have one dining package to choose from.
You should be sailing out of Aus/NZ so it should show up soon.

I always choose option B for a couple of reasons;
1.if it is done by our bank I can see a breakdown of the costs, e.g. commission and currency conversion rates. When you do it through a 3rd party in my experience they just charge you in you own currency and can’t see a breakdown of the how the amount charged. This also makes it difficult to see which is the better option.
2. They call it a convenience but they must only do it to make money. Therefore I would expect the costs to be around the same or higher than for our bank. I don’t think they would be lower (just my opinion and not based any real world knowledge) so no real advantage to having them do it other than knowing immediately how much you are being charged (as apposed to checking your credit card statement)
 

HI, If we tip individual crew members (over and above the normal daily gratuities) we tip in Australian dollars when sailing from Australia so I think the local currency should be fine. From what I remember there was also an ATM on board the ship we were on which could dispense US dollars if your preferred. You would be liable for currency conversion costs if you used that though.
 

Don’t get me wrong, I think in most instances tipping definitely does produce a higher level of service so I am not opposed to it. The only real issue i see is when you operate a ship in market where tipping is not the norm and peoples attitude is “I don’t believe in tipping” then it is just best to build the cost into all additional spending so that everyone is happy.
Maybe the staff are paid more when they are in the part of the world to compensate for smaller or no tips,  It seems like RCI is fair employer who wouldn’t want to see their employees disadvantaged.
 
 
 
 

Tipping certainly raises passion in people. You have to remember that Australia and New Zealand don't really have a tipping culture as people are on higher wages (the minimum wage in New Zealand is $15.75) so here service is built into the cost.
If we do tip people it is probably nothing like the tips that would get from the American market. For example on a 2 week cruise we are in a suite and I would normally tip the room steward an extra $20 at the end of the cruise. I do add a tip at the speciality restaurants and also give $20 to the bartender in the suite lounge. I don't normally tip the Concierge as he said he is well enough paid already and doesn't expect it.  In fact I can't think to anyone else that I give extra cash to if it is not automatically charged to the sea pass card.
I think the trouble with RCI coming into a market like Aus/New Zealand is people aren't used to it and expect an all inclusive price. Here gratuities for the dining room and room steward are included in the base fare but not for other services like spa, drinks etc. I think this adds to the confusion as they already think they have paid their gratuities. The best solution in my opinion for this market is not to separate it out and just have a set price that includes the gratuity (i.e. $14, not $12 + 18% . If you do that people just pay without issue. When you buy a cup of coffee you don't get an itemised account of how much the water, milk, and coffee cost. You just get an overall price and happily pay it.
I know some people will not agree with me but we do not live in the United States are used to all inclusive pricing.
 

As a New Zealander the one I struggle with is the Royal Genie (I have never had a cabin with one). Royal Caribbean promotes it as one of the advantages of booking that class of cabin, therefore are they not already paid by RCI to provide a high level of service? Those cabins are already very expensive and in my mind I don’t see why I need to pay additional. Even if I did tip them would the expectation be hundreds of dollars at the end of the cruise because the cabin cost so much in the first place?

Don’t get me wrong, I think in most instances tipping definitely does produce a higher level of service so I am not opposed to it. The only real issue i see is when you operate a ship in market where tipping is not the norm and peoples attitude is “I don’t believe in tipping” then it is just best to build the cost into all additional spending so that everyone is happy.
Maybe the staff are paid more when they are in the part of the world to compensate for smaller or no tips,  It seems like RCI is fair employer who wouldn’t want to see their employees disadvantaged.
 
 
 
 

Tipping certainly raises passion in people. You have to remember that Australia and New Zealand don't really have a tipping culture as people are on higher wages (the minimum wage in New Zealand is $15.75) so here service is built into the cost.
If we do tip people it is probably nothing like the tips that would get from the American market. For example on a 2 week cruise we are in a suite and I would normally tip the room steward an extra $20 at the end of the cruise. I do add a tip at the speciality restaurants and also give $20 to the bartender in the suite lounge. I don't normally tip the Concierge as he said he is well enough paid already and doesn't expect it.  In fact I can't think to anyone else that I give extra cash to if it is not automatically charged to the sea pass card.
I think the trouble with RCI coming into a market like Aus/New Zealand is people aren't used to it and expect an all inclusive price. Here gratuities for the dining room and room steward are included in the base fare but not for other services like spa, drinks etc. I think this adds to the confusion as they already think they have paid their gratuities. The best solution in my opinion for this market is not to separate it out and just have a set price that includes the gratuity (i.e. $14, not $12 + 18% . If you do that people just pay without issue. When you buy a cup of coffee you don't get an itemised account of how much the water, milk, and coffee cost. You just get an overall price and happily pay it.
I know some people will not agree with me but we do not live in the United States are used to all inclusive pricing.
 

To an extent Canadians can find themselves in similar hot water when traveling in the US.  There is a long standing joke that US restaurant workers say of Canadians... "What's the difference between a Canadian and a canoe?...  A canoe tips".  
In the US it remains common for some restaurant workers (in some states) to not be eligible for a standard minimum wage and much of their income is based on tips alone, even to this day.  That's a very 'foreign' concept for many outside of the US.  

Hi, When you book a cruise on the Australia and New Zealand website they are now included as part of the base fare/price for the room steward and dining room so are not removable. For specialty dining it is optional to add a tip (we usually do) and I would guess it is the same for casual drinks (we never buy any so I am not sure on this).
I think it is now part of the base fare as it is not normal to tip here and people are probably a little uncomfortable with it.
Also remember all prices on the ship are American dollars so if you choose to tip you need to factor that in.
 
 
 

We are on Ovation cruising from Singapore to Sydney in 4 weeks and North Star and iFly are not on the planner for booking yet. Looks like it will be first in, first served for us.
They also only have the ultimate dining package with no other options like the 5 night dining package.

The Royal Caribbean Australian website currently has a 40% off birthday sale on at the moment. Some pretty good deals to be had. I cancelled our booking and rebooked the same cabin for $600 less. This is on top of the $500 I saved by rebooking a couple off weeks ago. When the cruise launched a GS was $5600 NZD and now it can be purchased for $4500 NZD. I think this is the best price we will see.
The website has also been updated to a new design but I am not sure whether I prefer it or not. It probably is better (it couldn’t have got much worse) but it will just take a little while to get used to. 

I recommend that you ask the Comcierge about a bridge tour as soon as you board.  That does 2 things :  1) it lets the Concierge know he/she has a guest who is interested in a bridge tour and 2) he or she will let you know right away whether it’s possible and about when (what day) it’s likely to happen.
while bridge tours are less common than they once were, they will still try and accommodate you if at all possible.  Can’t hurt to ask !

I don’t understand why they don’t sell something like a 10 drink card that can be used by either person in a cabin. That way if you want a glass of wine each night with dinner you can just “clip the card” each night until there are none left. You buy 2 cards if you want 20 drinks between you. By card i mean a virtual card assigned to your Sea Pass account.
i don’t drink but from the pricing I see for the deluxe drinks package that is some serious dollars even for just one person let alone two.
maybe they should also consider a cabin drinks cabin that is a bit cheaper than 2 single drinks packages (a bit like voom for more than 1 device)

It is this line that seems to be interesting
  I don't normally drink alcohol and would actually prefer a coke or a mocktail to a beer and cocktail most days. If this is the case does this mean I do not have to purchase the Delux package and can get the Replenisher package instead? Surely if this is true then the whole policy is almost a farce?

Hi,
In that case then I think the 40% off sale that is on now is the best I have seen over the last few years. I find 30% off with onboard credit is usually the next best offer. Usually the 50% off one traveller is the most expensive relative to the other prices.
I can't help you with when the best month to book is as I just check the price whenever a new sale starts to see if it is cheaper than what I have currently paid. That is why I have rebooked our South Pacific cruise 2 times already. It was originally booked under the South Pacific Sale, then the 30% off sale and now the 40% off sale. I don't think it will get any cheaper than it is now but I will continue to keep an eye out. There is a chance if the cruise is unpopular then the pricing may come down more to move stock.
We only book ever for 2 so I am not sure how the pricing changes for more people than that.
 
 

I have always found that RCI is always on sale in Australia and New Zealand. I have never seen a cruise at full price. The sales seem to alternate between BOGHO, 30% off, South Pacific and the odd flash sale. I suggest that you book your cruise when you see a price you are happy with. Then If you have your email preferences set they will send you an email each time a new sale starts. If one of the sales has your cruise cheaper and it is before your final payment date you can cancel and rebook at the cheaper price for no penalty. (assuming you have booked through RCI direct, some travel agents will charge $200 to cancel). I normally cancel on the website and rebook the same cabin again as it will go back into the pool of available cabins straight away.

Definitely I find the further out the better as once the cruise starts to sell out the rack rate goes up substantially which negates the discount.
That said there was one Superior Grand Suite on our Ovation cruise in November that was originally $2000 more than our standard Grand Suite that is now $200 cheaper than ours. It is past the final payment date so it wasn't possible to change without penalty. It is also on deck 6 and we are on deck 12 and I also think the life boats may have interfered with our view.
 

The Royal Caribbean Australian website currently has a 40% off birthday sale on at the moment. Some pretty good deals to be had. I cancelled our booking and rebooked the same cabin for $600 less. This is on top of the $500 I saved by rebooking a couple off weeks ago. When the cruise launched a GS was $5600 NZD and now it can be purchased for $4500 NZD. I think this is the best price we will see.
The website has also been updated to a new design but I am not sure whether I prefer it or not. It probably is better (it couldn’t have got much worse) but it will just take a little while to get used to. 

Sounds like it might be a real sale.

This is wonderful news !  Hopefully everyone can save some money.  It's been so long since the US had any REAL sale I've forgotten what it feels like.  Good for you guys !

Hi, 
when we stayed in Fairbanks in 2012 we stayed at a place called Rivers Edge Resort. We stayed in a little Garden Cottage roomand enjoyed our stay. If you don't have a car it maybe a little bit far out but it was a nice place to stay.