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I’m on the Nov 9th sailing of Quantum out of Brisbane and going by RCI website not many rooms left.  

This season 2022/23 is restart season, so we’ll see. Quantum is coming back to Brisbane for 2023/24 that’s probably a better reflection of the demand. My thoughts are that we won’t see a Voyager or Freedom Class in Australia now. I’d say status quo for now Quantum/Ovation/(Radiance Class) and an Oasis Class for 2024/25 at the earliest coinciding with Perfect Day at Lelepa. 

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Building the pier at CocoCay was a two and a bit year long process and that was from the moment the dredge first started pulling up sand.  That was in a region with an abundance of nearby construction workers, barges and other machinery designed for the exact task.  I suspect Perfect Day Lelepa may be further off beyond 24/25 unless they have started dredging already.  Without a pier the best they could do would be tendering up through Quantum class.  

My radar has Lelepa further down the timeline.  The way the South Pacific completely closed up shop ship may have been a warning shot that has left cold feet at the cruise line.  They may want to see the South Pacific generating positive revenue for a few years before contracting the dredge to start digging up sand and that may mean postponing an Oasis down under.   Or, it may mean launching Lelepa as a tender port while a pier is built (like CocoCay) or it may mean pushing it off in the future more than they are willing to admit right now.   

No Oasis class ever visited CocoCay until after the pier completed.  Once we see hard hats working on the Lelepa pier we'll know the multi year clock on its opening has commenced.  24/25 doesn't seem realistic. 

Year round cruising without a Lelepa would be a test of the market to see if there is demand that could pay off a Lelepa investment in the time frame they are looking for.  If Quantum sales are cool as has been suggested that won't bode well for the payback calculations for Lelepa.

If they can't fill Quantum class from Brisbane that is a raising a red flag that could impact both Lelepa and Oasis down under.  Slow sales is a sign the market isn't ready to embrace their lofty goals just yet.  Prior to the shutdown they had cash overflowing from the corporate pockets so they were more liberal with their growth plans.  Now with the corporate pockets drained and their bank accounts in the red they won't be nearly as aggressive with growth plans down under.  Throw in a cool market response to Quantum in Brisbane and all that cold water won't just mean cold feet but significant shrinkage further up the body.  

Once the first year of the restart is in the books they'll know more about the ability of the market to support potential growth plans.  In their weakened state they will proceed very carefully.  Quantum sales had better trend upward soon if cruisers down under desire Oasis class and Lelepa.  Without evidence of demand one or the other, or both will be delayed.

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1 hour ago, twangster said:

Building the pier at CocoCay was a two and a bit year long process and that was from the moment the dredge first started pulling up sand.  That was in a region with an abundance of nearby construction workers, barges and other machinery designed for the exact task.  I suspect Perfect Day Lelepa may be further off beyond 24/25 unless they have started dredging already.  Without a pier the best they could do would be tendering up through Quantum class.  

My radar has Lelepa further down the timeline.  The way the South Pacific completely closed up shop ship may have been a warning shot that has left cold feet at the cruise line.  They may want to see the South Pacific generating positive revenue for a few years before contracting the dredge to start digging up sand and that may mean postponing an Oasis down under.   Or, it may mean launching Lelepa as a tender port while a pier is built (like CocoCay) or it may mean pushing it off in the future more than they are willing to admit right now.   

No Oasis class ever visited CocoCay until after the pier completed.  Once we see hard hats working on the Lelepa pier we'll know the multi year clock on its opening has commenced.  24/25 doesn't seem realistic. 

Year round cruising without a Lelepa would be a test of the market to see if there is demand that could pay off a Lelepa investment in the time frame they are looking for.  If Quantum sales are cool as has been suggested that won't bode well for the payback calculations for Lelepa.

If they can't fill Quantum class from Brisbane that is a raising a red flag that could impact both Lelepa and Oasis down under.  Slow sales is a sign the market isn't ready to embrace their lofty goals just yet.  Prior to the shutdown they had cash overflowing from the corporate pockets so they were more liberal with their growth plans.  Now with the corporate pockets drained and their bank accounts in the red they won't be nearly as aggressive with growth plans down under.  Throw in a cool market response to Quantum in Brisbane and all that cold water won't just mean cold feet but significant shrinkage further up the body.  

Once the first year of the restart is in the books they'll know more about the ability of the market to support potential growth plans.  In their weakened state they will proceed very carefully.  Quantum sales had better trend upward soon if cruisers down under desire Oasis class and Lelepa.  Without evidence of demand one or the other, or both will be delayed.

I’ve been trawling the Internet on Lelepa over the last year and it seems to have stalled.

Ive even looked for local contractors and tenders but the only thing that has happened or is going to happen is a solar power grid and a new well with some pipes. They where done by foreign aid for the village at the other end of the island.

So you are right it’s going to be a while before there’s a cruise ship docking at Lelepa.

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On 8/12/2022 at 12:04 PM, CruisingOz said:

If you look at the P&O and Carnival offerings for kids sailing from Brisbane, they are not really that great, so the Voyager with slides and a great kids club would be awesome. If it was a Quantum, then game changer, wins hands down. I think I recall in one of the Royal earnings calls that the larger ships like Quantum class are profitable at around 60% capacity. If that is the case then the out of school holiday travellers would certainly prefer the Royal option. 

If @Twangstar reads this, I am sure he/her will know more specific facts on the profitability.  

Yeah, the local shoreside company is working on the 2023/24 season start up however I think it will be 2024/25. I wish I was a fly on a wall in the Royal logistics office. 

If as you say,shore side services are working on a year round in Brisbane.

With the unrest in Mexico,do you think it might be Navigator?

The engine problems with Quantum,they may just switch-a-roo ?

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Hi, I’m a bit late to the party here. I read in previous discussions about transfers from Brisbane airport to the cruise terminal. I am flying into Brisbane two days before the Quantum leaves. Landing Nov. 25, sailing Nov. 27.  I understand that there’s a third party vendor at the domestic terminal, Con-X-ion. When I did my eraser h on them, it sounds like they offer ground transfers to the cruise terminal. I contacted them, and got an automatic response of call them. That’s a bit difficult calling from North America and 16 hours different in time zones. The two questions I have are:

1. Will they offer transfers;

2. How difficult is it to get a cab at the cruise terminal?
 

thanks

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4 hours ago, GuelphSmoke said:

Hi, I’m a bit late to the party here. I read in previous discussions about transfers from Brisbane airport to the cruise terminal. I am flying into Brisbane two days before the Quantum leaves. Landing Nov. 25, sailing Nov. 27.  I understand that there’s a third party vendor at the domestic terminal, Con-X-ion. When I did my eraser h on them, it sounds like they offer ground transfers to the cruise terminal. I contacted them, and got an automatic response of call them. That’s a bit difficult calling from North America and 16 hours different in time zones. The two questions I have are:

1. Will they offer transfers;

2. How difficult is it to get a cab at the cruise terminal?
 

thanks

I would expect there to be some kind of shuttle??

I would jump onto TripAdvisor Brisbane forum .

 

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17 hours ago, GuelphSmoke said:

Hi, I’m a bit late to the party here. I read in previous discussions about transfers from Brisbane airport to the cruise terminal. I am flying into Brisbane two days before the Quantum leaves. Landing Nov. 25, sailing Nov. 27.  I understand that there’s a third party vendor at the domestic terminal, Con-X-ion. When I did my eraser h on them, it sounds like they offer ground transfers to the cruise terminal. I contacted them, and got an automatic response of call them. That’s a bit difficult calling from North America and 16 hours different in time zones. The two questions I have are:

1. Will they offer transfers;

2. How difficult is it to get a cab at the cruise terminal?
 

thanks

You are arriving 2 days before your cruise, so are you actually staying at an Airport Hotel and want a transfer to the cruise terminal?

It is an international airport, and hotel system... there will be an abundance of taxis.

I personally would be installing the UBER app on your phone and simply grabbing an UBER at your convenience to the cruise terminal.

 

 

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17 hours ago, GuelphSmoke said:

Con-X-ion. When I did my eraser h on them, it sounds like they offer ground transfers to the cruise terminal. I contacted them, and got an automatic response of call them. That’s a bit difficult calling from North America and 16 hours different in time zones. The two questions I have are:

1. Will they offer transfers;

2. How difficult is it to get a cab at the cruise terminal?
 

thanks

BTW: here's their contact details... Sounds like an email should sort out most basic booking queries.  

 

Contact Us

The Con-X-ion Call Centre is open 24 hours 7 days a week.


Calling from Overseas: +61 7 5556 9888

Email:[email protected]

 

https://www.con-x-ion.com/services/cruise-ship-transfers

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29 minutes ago, twangster said:

That would be pretty awesome.   Let's hope it happens.  

But... if Brisbane Quantum sales are as slow as you have suggested that isn't going to help move this forward sooner rather than later.

Around the end of next year,Royal will have 6 oasis and a Icon .

They will be struggling to find somewhere to deploy them during the northern winter.

My bet will be Wonder will be home ported in Singapore with 4-5 months around Christmas in Australia.

They have applied to resume cruises in Hong Kong with spectrum but
I don’t like their luck with that.

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48 minutes ago, Chili said:

Around the end of next year,Royal will have 6 oasis and a Icon .

They will be struggling to find somewhere to deploy them during the northern winter.

My bet will be Wonder will be home ported in Singapore with 4-5 months around Christmas in Australia.

They have applied to resume cruises in Hong Kong with spectrum but
I don’t like their luck with that.

After a season or two in Florida hopefully Asia and Australia will be back to the old normals and ready to fill Wonder on a consistent basis.  

That isn't cast in stone, only time will tell.  

Given the outrageous summer prices for Florida cruises they seem to do very well here but at some point having so many old ships poking around the Caribbean in the winter isn't going to cover their costs. The demise of Vision and Radiance class is probably closer than most people realize (looking at the 5 year plan and beyond).  Once they are gone that will help to fill mega ships in Florida all going to CocoCay which is a money printing machine right now.  Who ever thought they would have Oasis class doing short 3 and 4 night cruises?  

Time will tell but the most important thing I've learned is that I know nothing and no one can predict future deployments.

Sit back and enjoy the ride.  

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6 hours ago, Chili said:

Around the end of next year,Royal will have 6 oasis and a Icon .

They will be struggling to find somewhere to deploy them during the northern winter.

My bet will be Wonder will be home ported in Singapore with 4-5 months around Christmas in Australia.

They have applied to resume cruises in Hong Kong with spectrum but
I don’t like their luck with that.

Oh no they won't struggle to find places to deploy them in the Norther hemisphere winter season. The number of ports in the Caribbean that can accommodate an Oasis Class ship has grown over the past several years.  It is my understanding that Royal continues to work with Islands in the Caribbean on port upgrades so Oasis class vessels can visit more islands. 

For the northern hemisphere's winter 2024/2025 season a deployment could for example look like this: 

Harmony, Galveston 7 night Western Caribbean cruises;

Wonder, Port Canaveral 7 night Eastern and Western cruises; 

Allure, Port Canaveral 3 and 4 night Bahamas/ CocoCay cruises;  

Symphony and Oasis, Port Everglades 6 and 8 night Eastern and Southern Caribbean Cruises;

Utopia and Icon, Port Miami 7 night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises.   

 

I hope at some point you all Down Under do get an Oasis Class ship I really do.  However, I still think any chance Australia has of getting an Oasis Class ship is directly tied to both China and Hong Kong.  Both of these markets when they reopen need to see strong demand for cruising because Wonder of the Seas could then cruise the Chinese and Honk Kong markets from mid-April through early-October before repositioning to Australia from mid-October through early April for Southern Hemisphere's spring/summer season.  

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On 8/22/2022 at 5:54 PM, Chili said:

I don’t know how credible this is but I will post it .

https://www.finder.com.au/biggest-cruise-ship-in-australia

It will happen.. but only after I've dropped 20K to get the family on it next year from Orlando. lol

Flights to the US used to be like $900, now $2500? I hate covid.

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On 8/22/2022 at 10:14 PM, twangster said:

That would be pretty awesome.   Let's hope it happens.  

But... if Brisbane Quantum sales are as slow as you have suggested that isn't going to help move this forward sooner rather than later.

Everyone on here needs to book Quantum out of Brisbane to help the cause!

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37 minutes ago, mattymay said:

It will happen.. but only after I've dropped 20K to get the family on it next year from Orlando. lol

Flights to the US used to be like $900, now $2500? I hate covid.

I’m going for icon in November next year outof Miami.

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22 minutes ago, Chili said:

I think you will find wonder in Singapore  if Hong Kong gives the approval for spectrum.

So you are saying Spectrum will go to Hong Kong after Mar 2024? or there will be a reshuffle before then? 

Hong Kong is a stop on some itineraries released today for Spectrum.

The Wonder itnerary has CocoCay and Labadee in the one go, both of which I would like to see. Unless Icon offers the same, I think it would be better than anything coming out of Singapore.

It's been 5 years since we did Harmony - Nassau, St Thomas, St Maarten.

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7 hours ago, mattymay said:

So you are saying Spectrum will go to Hong Kong after Mar 2024? or there will be a reshuffle before then? 

Hong Kong is a stop on some itineraries released today for Spectrum.

The Wonder itnerary has CocoCay and Labadee in the one go, both of which I would like to see. Unless Icon offers the same, I think it would be better than anything coming out of Singapore.

It's been 5 years since we did Harmony - Nassau, St Thomas, St Maarten.

I believe Royal is trying to do cruises to nowhere out of Hong Kong early next year.

If so and they get the go ahead, I think Wonder could replace Spectrum in Singapore.

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A question for the experts.

Price protection for Australian cruises,I thought it had ended with the cruise with the confidence program.

But there’s speculation that it’s still a thing for us Australians.

Section 30 of the terms and conditions ???
What do you think??

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/aus/en/terms-and-conditions/information-terms-and-conditions-au

 

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