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1 hour ago, CruisingOz said:

Wow, has the Australian Government really upset the cruise lines. This ex-Costa Carnival ship and the Royal's Enchantment are so small and old. I do not mind the Encroachment as have sailed Vision class before and we are booked on her, but there is no way I would even step onto the Luminosa, it is so old and a bad layout.     

Celebrity edge has some good prices at the moment.

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51 minutes ago, Shanenz84 said:

Yes it looks like they have. I think they've gone a bit conservative for now but as long as bookings return and the ships full up then i'm sure we'll get more options in the future. Also remember Virgin is bringing the new "Resilient Lady" next year as well as "Celebrity Edge" coming down under so these are positive signs of confidence in the region. 

It would have been nice for Carnival to bring a newer ship down under like one of the Dream or Vista Class that would have been a good upgrade and a bit more competitive with other lines.

I think the biggest problem our cruise industry has, is getting workers .

If you have any local cruises booked you will notice the lack of shore excursions.

 I have a Ovation Cruise and it goes to Adelaide and cruise planner doesn’t have any excursions. I called Adelaide scenic tours which usually do the ship tours but the said they can’t get staff and at the moment won’t be doing any.

So I don’t know what will happen in Adelaide as there’s not much at the cruise terminal.

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8 minutes ago, mattymay said:

There's not much in Adelaide.

There is heaps to do in and around Adelaide that would be of interest to guests and easily accessable from the port. I have visited several times and love the state. It is a pity about the tours and we plan on hiring a car for the day when our ship visits.

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14 minutes ago, CruisingOz said:

There is heaps to do in and around Adelaide that would be of interest to guests and easily accessable from the port. I have visited several times and love the state. It is a pity about the tours and we plan on hiring a car for the day when our ship visits.

I haven’t looked at a hire car, good thinking 99 .

We will probably go to Hahndorf for a couple of beers,a tour would be good though.

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19 minutes ago, Chili said:

We will probably go to Hahndorf for a couple of beers, a tour would be good though

On the drive back from Hahndorf, go via the McLaren Vale and do a loop through the countryside. nice drive. Could do the Barossa Valley wine tour and/or combine it with McLaren Vale wineries, or Adelaide Hills and Hahndorf tour. The zoo has panda bears and the city is a nice walk. Tram to Gleneig for a nice seaside pub lunch. There also use to be 3 hour Murray river tours with lunch option.  

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1 hour ago, CruisingOz said:

There is heaps to do in and around Adelaide that would be of interest to guests and easily accessable from the port. I have visited several times and love the state. It is a pity about the tours and we plan on hiring a car for the day when our ship visits.

I'm half joking.. I used to live there before moving to Melbourne.

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 6/16/2022 at 12:39 PM, Chili said:

I think the biggest problem our cruise industry has, is getting workers .

If you have any local cruises booked you will notice the lack of shore excursions.

 I have a Ovation Cruise and it goes to Adelaide and cruise planner doesn’t have any excursions. I called Adelaide scenic tours which usually do the ship tours but the said they can’t get staff and at the moment won’t be doing any.

So I don’t know what will happen in Adelaide as there’s not much at the cruise terminal.

I noticed on the planner they have excursions in Adelaide but unable to book yet.....the old coming soon notice..here's hoping they can get something organised by December

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6 hours ago, Big Tule said:

I noticed on the planner they have excursions in Adelaide but unable to book yet.....the old coming soon notice..here's hoping they can get something organised by December

Adelaide in December,what cruise is that ? I’m on Ovation the 7th.

I wonder how olah is going?

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I was talking to the company that looks after the shore excursions for Royal locally and it is simply a staff shortage issue. 

We have cruises for 18th Nov Queensland and no shore excursions listed yet . Also nothing for Wellington NZ for early Nov. For Adelaide, there is nothing for the March cruise yet. 

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On 7/24/2022 at 12:19 PM, CruisingOz said:

 

We have cruises for 18th Nov Queensland and no shore excursions listed yet . Also nothing for Wellington NZ for early Nov. For Adelaide, there is nothing for the March cruise yet. 

Interesting... our Jan 2023 Ovation cruise has Wellington excursions in the planner (Only 9 are listed which seems a lot less than I'd expect).

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On 7/24/2022 at 10:19 AM, CruisingOz said:

I was talking to the company that looks after the shore excursions for Royal locally and it is simply a staff shortage issue. 

We have cruises for 18th Nov Queensland and no shore excursions listed yet . Also nothing for Wellington NZ for early Nov. For Adelaide, there is nothing for the March cruise yet. 

A bit of speculation that Brilliance maybe pulled out of the Mediterranean because of airline troubles.

Do you think they could swap it for enchantment?

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6 hours ago, Chili said:

A bit of speculation that Brilliance maybe pulled out of the Mediterranean because of airline troubles.

Do you think they could swap it for enchantment?

Brilliance has lower capacity compared to Enchantment.  If sales were slow they might consider downsizing the ship but Enchantment is going to be in the Pacific for Alaska making her a natural fit to sail down to Oz.  Swapping Brilliance with Enchantment would disrupt a lot of booked Panama and Alaska cruises and lower capacity in Alaska. 

Now if they have a buyer lined up for Enchantment that might justify the turmoil and cost to move Brilliance into the Pacific but absent of that a ship swap looks like a money losing proposition. 

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1 hour ago, twangster said:

Brilliance has lower capacity compared to Enchantment.  If sales were slow they might consider downsizing the ship but Enchantment is going to be in the Pacific for Alaska making her a natural fit to sail down to Oz.  Swapping Brilliance with Enchantment would disrupt a lot of booked Panama and Alaska cruises and lower capacity in Alaska. 

Now if they have a buyer lined up for Enchantment that might justify the turmoil and cost to move Brilliance into the Pacific but absent of that a ship swap looks like a money losing proposition. 

Enchantment has been dropped off sydney port authority.

Now a booking of unknown vessel ,Royal Caribbean.

 

https://webservices.portauthoritynsw.com.au/PublicExport/PublicSiteExportTo?OutputFormat=xlsx

 

The unknown ship and unknown line is the Disney ship I believe.

 

 

 

 

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18 hours ago, CruisingOz said:

Oh do not talk about any more changes. I have bookings on the Enchantment and have had enough cancellations. I am still upset with the loss of Radiance. 

You must be only person I know of that is interested in enchantment,apart from alang scrapyard. LOL

 

There’s a report that some agents have been notified there’s going to be a swap in ships.

But nothing I can confirm.

If so Brilliance here I come ,the around Oz looks good.

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1 hour ago, Chili said:

You must be only person I know of that is interested in enchantment

If choice of Enchantment or Ovation, would take enchantment. For us, it is more relaxing and more connection to the sea and friendlier staff. Done Rhapsody and Grandeur, and loved them both. But if you are talking Radiance class, like Brilliance, then really happy days, whoo hoo, by far our favourite class of ship. I have reached out and I think your rumours are true. Bugger, more changes

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43 minutes ago, Shanenz84 said:

I just noticed that Brilliance is now blanked out for Summer Europe 2023 bookings so sounds like something in the works here for sure. 

Someone over on CC has just posted that she's been told by the casino line that Brilliance has a sailing out of Vancouver on 11 June and that Enchantment is going to be doing Greek Isles.

Obviously, I have no way of knowing how reliable this info is so potentially should be taken with a pinch of salt.

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On 7/27/2022 at 8:14 AM, Chili said:

Enchantment has been dropped off sydney port authority.

Now a booking of unknown vessel ,Royal Caribbean.

 

https://webservices.portauthoritynsw.com.au/PublicExport/PublicSiteExportTo?OutputFormat=xlsx

 

The unknown ship and unknown line is the Disney ship I believe.

 

 

 

 

You were right, Brilliance it is.  

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The International Maritime Organization recently shared new speed regulations we must adhere to and as a result, we've repositioned some of our ships for our upcoming 2023/2024 season. Our original plan for Enchantment of the Seas was to offer sailings departing from Vancouver, British Columbia on April 3rd, 2023 and Sydney, Australia on October 23rd, 2023. Instead, Enchantment of the Seas will now continue offering sailings from Baltimore, Maryland through April 20th, 2023 and begin a European season with departures from Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy, Athens (Piraeus), Greece, and Venice (Ravenna), Italy starting May 15th, 2023, before making its way to Tampa, Florida in November 2023. 

Brilliance of the Seas will now take Enchantment's place in Alaska and Australia and will offer similar itineraries! Starting July 28th, 2022, we'll automatically move your clients to the new Brilliance of the Seas sailing departing on the same day as their original Enchantment of the Seas cruise. They'll receive like-for-like accommodations onboard Brilliance of the Seas, and their amenities will remain the same.

Your clients' vacation is important to us. While we're confident they'll have an amazing time onboard Brilliance and enjoy many of the same features as Enchantment, we still want them to have the flexibility to make the best decision for them and those in their party. Below, we've outlined their options along with a few additional details.

Option 1: Stay onboard the new Brilliance of the Seas cruise.

  • We'll automatically move them to the Brilliance of the Seas sailing departing on the same day as their original cruise. So, there's nothing for you to do!
  • Their new sailing will still offer the same beautiful ports as their original cruise, and it'll depart from the same destination. 
  • We'll move them to a like-for-like stateroom and their original stateroom category price will either be protected at their original cruise fare rate or reduced to the current cruise fare rate (whichever is lower). This excludes taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items. 
    • If their booking was already paid in full and their cruise fare rate decreases, we'll provide them with a refund for the difference. They can expect to receive their refund to their original form of payment within 14 business days after we move them. Kindly note, refund times may vary depending on their financial institution.
  • Lastly, you'll receive protected commission.

Option 2: Re-book any other Royal Caribbean International sailing.

  • If they prefer to re-book another sailing, we'll waive any non-refundable deposit change fees.
  • Please know, they'll be responsible for any difference in pricing for their cruise fare, taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items. 
    • If their booking was already paid in full and their cruise fare rate decreases, we'll provide them with a refund for the difference. They can expect to receive their refund to their original form of payment within 14 business days after we move them. Kindly note, refund times may vary depending on their financial institution.
  • Lastly, your commission will be based on the revised cruise fare paid.

Option 3: If they can't find a new itinerary that works for them and choose to cancel, we'll be sad to see them go. They'll receive: 

  • A full refund of any paid portion of your cruise fare (including non-refundable deposits) and any pre-paid amenities to the original form of payment within 14 business days - some international banking and financial institutions may have a processing time of approximately 30 business days.
    • If they used a Future Cruise Credit on this sailing, and they request a refund instead, we'll refund any NEW funds paid above the certificate amount, and we'll reinstate their original certificate. 
  • If they booked their airfare through Royal Caribbean International, it will be automatically refunded to them. However, if they booked on their own, please contact the service provider directly for their options with them.
  • Please know, if they choose this option, we will not provide additional compensation.
  • Lastly, you'll receive protected commission if the booking is paid in full only.

Please note, any Cruise Planner purchases for your clients' original Enchantment of the Seas sailing will automatically be cancelled and refunded to their original form of payment. Feel free to have them re-book these items on their new ship and sail date.

There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to shifting sailings and rebooking guests, so we ask for your patience as we work to make this process easier for you and your clients. All moves for individual and group bookings will be completed by August 18th, 2022. We'll send an updated reservation confirmation with the revised details to the email address on file as soon as their reservation has been completely updated. If they decide to go with Option 2 or 3, please call us at 888-281-9344 by August 18th, 2022. And know, hold times may be longer than usual. If we haven't heard from you by August 18th, 2022, they'll remain booked on the alternate Brilliance of the Seas sailing.

If you have any questions, please contact us at: 

  • 1800 754 500 in Australia / 0800 102 123 in New Zealand
  • In the UK only, by using our webchat service or by calling 0344 493 4005
  • All other countries, please visit http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contactus for your local Royal Caribbean International office phone number.

Thank you for understanding and support. We hope your clients find another cruise with us. Whether they are celebrating a special occasion or looking to explore, relax, and recharge - we have no doubt their time with us will be nothing short of amazing.

Sincerely,

Aurora Yera-Rodriguez 

AVP | Guest Experience

Royal Caribbean International

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2 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

I'm still confused how new speed limits can be worked around by simply playing musical chairs with ships. Or is there something about Enchantment that makes it not able to abide by the new rules, but Brilliance can?

Probably more of RCL’s mathematics ,they probably calculate their speed like they calculate their sales.

Enchantment just wasn’t selling well.

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8 minutes ago, CruisingOz said:

We are on tje Ovation doing the sounds in early Nov this year, so I do not think this is the issue

Ovation is ten times cleaner than Enchantment.  Ovation has advanced purification that produces a lot of white smoke that is mostly steam.  That's how it manages fine in Alaska.  Maybe it was Alaska that got Enchantment booted.  

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50 minutes ago, Chili said:

Brisbane seems to be unpopular compared to Sydney.

Watch this space. Royal will homeport a ship at Brisbane 12 months of the year as a direct competitor to P&O & Carnival. 
Prices are certainly cheaper on the Quantum with a similar cabin to what I booked on the Ovation Transpacific being a fraction of the price. Although the cruise for my sister 50th in Nov is nearly sold out leavi g only a couple of high end suites.

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