rekkie

I guess you need a token Aussie.. Im in ;)

I guess you need a token Aussie.. Im in ;)

Okay so recently made a couple of bookings way in advance
April 20 2019 - Symphony
April 28 2019 - Harmony
Yep our crazy bunch are officially travelling to the USA, look out!

Just booked Harmony of the Seas July 1, 2017!

That will be quite a road trip.  I'm in Southern California, about 90 miles south of LA, but work closer in Orange County (60 miles south).  Feel free to ask any questions that you may have for the area.  I also have some experience in the nearby region (e.g., Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, etc.).  Also, let me know the dates that you book and I'll add them to the list.
 
Kris

The friends of Dorothy things advertised on the community boards are usually crappy. We usually see if there are Facebook groups for the particular sailing and make friends with other LGBT couples prior to boarding.
 
Cruise Criric is rubbish. Whoever had the idea of having an Internet forum where people can't actually send each other a private message obviously still has a rotary dial phone at home.
 
The pool is also a good place to make friends, unsure why, but we've met many people in and around the pool area that we end up socialising with.

I think you're too far out from the cruise yet to be able to book. I cant buy things like this yet for my April cruise either

Yeah I booked this deal... Looking forward to live streaming much of our January Ovation cruise to Facebook :)

I am so glad you aren't running a blog on illegal drugs...  :D

Hi all, my wife and I are considering a 24 night cruise from Seattle to Sydney and would love to hear from anyone who has done this cruise before. We are concerned that due to the length of the cruise, fresh fruit and food may run out, entertainment by be not up to usual standards and staff numbers may be down therefore service and attention to guests might be less than what we are used to. TIA.

On both the Jewel and the Brilliance, those at the coffee bar started to learn my order and would begin making as they saw me approach from across the Centrum. As a result, I tipped well as it saved me time waiting. However, the tipping came after the service, not before.

I'm with you.. Tipping is not normally done in this part of the world but when we do tip we are generous and only after great service is received. Unfortunately when the ships are in Australian waters tips are rare, especially on longer cruises with older passengers. Tipping the bar staff especially can be extremely rewarding ;)

When I was on the Independence of the seas last month it was the same thing, I believe there was one everyday.

Welcome to the group, Murray! Thank you for your support

I guess you need a token Aussie.. Im in ;)

One thing that has changed recently is we created a Royal Caribbean Dining Facebook group that is great for discussing our favorite topic: FOOD!
 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1633271950269692/

We use FB extensively. We have both pages and groups. Pages for stories and information and groups for discussion. The discussion side gets lost on pages so we have both. One of our pages has over 26,000 likes but it's hard to actually get the involvement there with our people hence having both run in unison. Forums are old school and unfortunately going the way of the dodo. Matt there is no reason you can't have both despite what FB likes they aren't going to shut it down.

Yep.. We were on Explorer. Also took a lot of video of the event and photos. Marvellous day. We actually anchored in the harbor from about 1pm due to a medical emergency but it was just a lovely day, no better place to be.

Yep.. We were on Explorer. Also took a lot of video of the event and photos. Marvellous day. We actually anchored in the harbor from about 1pm due to a medical emergency but it was just a lovely day, no better place to be.

Yep.. We were on Explorer. Also took a lot of video of the event and photos. Marvellous day. We actually anchored in the harbor from about 1pm due to a medical emergency but it was just a lovely day, no better place to be.

News Flash - Voyager of The Seas and her slighlty younger and bigger sister Explorer of the Seas met on Sunday November 28th in Sydney Harbour and made the harbour look like a small bathtub.
 
Thanks "Cruise Advice" for posting this wonderful video on Youtube. Up until Sunday, Voyager was the largest cruise ship to homeport Australia that title nows goes to her sister Explorer of the Seas. 
 

Might do that Rekkie thanks! Do you have anyone specific you deal with?

Thanks for your advice Matt but thats what lead me to ask the question.. Apparently customer service for TA in Australia is non-existent.
 
I have to admit it isn't much fun trying to deal with RCCL over the phone here either. The VOIP lines they use sound like your trying to talk through two tin cans and some string!

Book Ovation via ozcruising.com.au they have $100 deposits and give a small OBC as well.. The catch is they want a full payment by May 2016, however if you pay a little more in the deposit that is extended to October 2016

I think it's great you want to give an agency a try.  
 
While I don't have anyone that can do business in Australia a try (Royal Caribbean prohibits American TAs from working with Australians), I would recommend doing an internet search for a few companies and send them each a list of questions.  These should be questions about your expectations as your TA and even about RC.
 
You might even ask questions you know the answers to just to see what they write back with.
 
The point of this email is to see how quickly and knowledgeably they respond.