Maiden Voyage (for me) on Voyager of the Seas. 6 Days Queensland Cruise - February 6, 2026 - February 12, 2026

[Jamesszy94]

Decided to book a cruise in February next year. I've been to the Great Barrier Reef before but almost 20 years ago. Will be nice to visit again by cruise ship. But also this will be my first time cruising on a non-Quantum class

Who: Me and my mum. My mum isn't really a fan of cruises, but if it's not in international waters where the waves are too bad then she's okay with it.

Itinerary:

 

Cabin: I booked an Interior Guarantee on this cruise, so don't know where it'll be. I do play on using RoyalUp to try get a Balcony and surprise my mum, but if I don't I won't be too upset.

I have to fly to Brisbane the day before to get on the cruise ship. This will be my first cruise that doesn't leave from Sydney. It'll be a new experience and I'm looking forward to it!

[Jamesszy94]

Watching Matt's ship tour before boarding..

 

[OCSC Mike]

My first ever cruise/ship (honeymoon 2002) when people were still saying "OMG, there's an ice rink on a ship!"

[Jamesszy94]

I will miss the SeaPlex and the Bumper Cars... but I'm getting back on Anthem in November next year. So it won't be too long.

[Jamesszy94]

Yeah, no, 50% still over 1.2k for my mum and I.

[Jamesszy94]

Question for anyone who knows/can tell me.

If I decide not to use RoyalUp for the upgrade - since this one isn't guaranteed, how do I upgrade? Do I have to call RCCL directly? Or how does the process work?

[Lovetocruise2002]

15 hours ago, Jamesszy94 said:

Question for anyone who knows/can tell me.

If I decide not to use RoyalUp for the upgrade - since this one isn't guaranteed, how do I upgrade? Do I have to call RCCL directly? Or how does the process work?

I am not sure about the booking rules in Australia, but here in North America you can just call, ask for the price difference between the two cabins and pay the difference. It's very easy.

[Jamesszy94]

4 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I am not sure about the booking rules in Australia, but here in North America you can just call, ask for the price difference between the two cabins and pay the difference. It's very easy.

Thank you! I guess I'll call them later today. Hopefully the upgrade isn't too much.

[Jamesszy94]

I just called Royal...

It's an extra $888 to upgrade from an Interior to a GTY OV Balcony....

A non guaranteed balcony is an extra 1.6k

Yeah, nevermind, I'll try my luck on Royal Up... 

[ScottishRobbie]

Looking forward to when this one becomes a live, I board on the 19th.

[Jamesszy94]

Due date for final balance was last Friday... Paid on Wednesday.

Just waiting for check-in times and RU to open now.

[Jamesszy94]

RU has opened up. Let's see if my minimum bid gets accepted 

[Jamesszy94]

The lowest was actually $250 AUD but I thought I'd go a bit higher. Last time I bid $600 per person and that got accepted.

[Jamesszy94]

Okay check-in just opened. Got the 12-12:30pm timeslot. Can never get on-board too early right? 

I'm just thinking whether I should book a later time slot instead so I can bag drop in our room and not have to lug everything around, especially in the Windjammer..

[ScottishRobbie]

And there's me thinking 12pm was late to get onboard Just out of interest, what was the earliest boarding time available? Check in for my Voyager cruise opens in 11 days.

[Jamesszy94]

11 hours ago, ScottishRobbie said:

And there's me thinking 12pm was late to get onboard Just out of interest, what was the earliest boarding time available? Check in for my Voyager cruise opens in 11 days.

Earliest time available that I could pick was 12-12:30. Not sure if anything else earlier is available.

[Jamesszy94]

Has anyone done the Sushi Making lessons? Worth it? Not worth it?

[KristiZ]

It's a lot of food and fun to do at least once!

[AshleyDillo]

12 hours ago, KristiZ said:

It's a lot of food and fun to do at least once!

+1 to this

However, I'm not sure how they would handle it if you have a picky eater and needed to substitute things. It's a very guided experience and they portion out all the ingredients that each participant will need.

[Jamesszy94]

Hoping my offer gets accepted. It would be a nice surprise for my mum for putting up with me for 32 years

[Jamesszy94]

Since Voyager doesn't have Johnny's Rockets, where do I go to get a Strawberry Milkshake?!

[Jamesszy94]

So I booked the Refreshment Package... surprisingly my mum didn't say much other than "you have too much money". I've also got Izumi booked, we both love Japanese food and I had Izumi on Ovation last time, so keen to try the Izumi on Voyager...

My plan is to stay at a hotel near the airport, since the airport and the cruise terminal are so close together and then just Uber into the CBD. That way on the morning of Cruise Day, we don't need to be rushing to get to the cruise terminal and we don't need to worry too much about traffic.

Brisbane Cruise Terminal and Novotel aren't too far apart. But according to Google Maps, it's still a 2hr 22 minute walk. 

[twangster]

13 hours ago, Jamesszy94 said:

Since Voyager doesn't have Johnny's Rockets, where do I go to get a Strawberry Milkshake?!

The Solarium Bar makes real fruit smoothies and strawberry is available.

[Jamesszy94]

23 minutes ago, twangster said:

The Solarium Bar makes real fruit smoothies and strawberry is available.

Thank you! I'll check out the Solarium when I get onboard.

[Jamesszy94]

So we just got sent our cruise documents. Deck 6... I don't know if this is good or bad, but also, we're right at the back of the ship.

Hoping my RUB gets accepted for a Balcony.

[Jamesszy94]

I finally booked the hotel we're staying at today...

There's a shore excursion I'm seriously considering;

I've snorkelled the Great Barrier Reef before - but this was almost 20 years ago. $610 is a bit steep though.

[Jamesszy94]

If you know anything about the Great Barrier Reef - it's faced major bleaching events in the past few decades and its recovery has been incredibly slow due to various factors - such as greenhouse gases from climate change, ocean acidification, and raising ocean temperatures, as well as the crown of thorns starfish. 

Coral reefs worldwide — including the Great Barrier Reef — are projected to decline by 70 – 90 % by 2050 at around 1.5 °C of global warming, largely due to more frequent and severe marine heatwaves. At higher warming levels, such as 2 °C or more, models suggest losses could be near-total for the kind of vibrant reef ecosystems we know today — perhaps leaving only small, sparse coral patches rather than a thriving reef.

 

[Jamesszy94]

 

Really the only specialty restaurants that look appealing to me is Izumi and Chef's Table..

But 50% off...

[Jamesszy94]

So there's ~3 days till I get onboard and I know that sometimes Royal can send you the email right up until you're waiting in line at the terminal and even in rare cases while you're on board about your Royal Up bid being rejected/accepted... but I still haven't received an email about whether or not my RU bid is accepted/rejected.

I won't be upset if it gets rejected or anything, but I just find it weird that on my last Royal sailing, my RU bid was accepted 2 days after I put in the bid.

[OCSC Mike]

Almost forgot, I took a pic at the main supermarket chain in FL (Publix) after our Aussie snacks discussion in your other blog.

4 different flavors of TimTams & they were even on sale, lol.

[Jamesszy94]

13 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

Almost forgot, I took a pic at the main supermarket chain in FL (Publix) after our Aussie snacks discussion in your other blog.

4 different flavors of TimTams & they were even on sale, lol.

The Double Coat ones are the best.

[Southern Dan]

I would like to try those Jammie Dodgers up on top, they sound like something I would enjoy...

[OCSC Mike]

Just now, Southern Dan said:

I would like to try those Jammie Dodgers up on top, they sound like something I would enjoy...

Publix has a bunch of random stuff in that International aisle. Some is basic but tons of other stuff I've never even heard of.

I've had stroopwaffels before (far bottom right) and they're really good... kind of like a thin Belgian waffle flavored cookie.

[Southern Dan]

I love tasty treats.  I'm like a 5 year old when it comes to cakes and cookies and ice cream and everything else delicious like that.

[FionaMG]

8 hours ago, Southern Dan said:

I would like to try those Jammie Dodgers up on top, they sound like something I would enjoy...

The jam inside them REALLY sticks to your teeth. A true dentist's nightmare. They are very yummy, though.

[OCSC Mike]

Maybe I need to take more pictures from that aisle and ask for recommendations from the non-US forum members. I could post them in the People Connect forum or something.

[InmyElement]

14 hours ago, Jamesszy94 said:

So there's ~3 days till I get onboard and I know that sometimes Royal can send you the email right up until you're waiting in line at the terminal and even in rare cases while you're on board about your Royal Up bid being rejected/accepted... but I still haven't received an email about whether or not my RU bid is accepted/rejected.

I won't be upset if it gets rejected or anything, but I just find it weird that on my last Royal sailing, my RU bid was accepted 2 days after I put in the bid.

I  bid everytime, (GenPop frequent flyer) except when traveling w the boys. I 'usually' get the emails/notifications the night before we board.. Wishing you Bid Luck! 

[Jamesszy94]

My RU Bid got accepted! Moving into a connecting balcony on Deck 7. Can't wait to surprise my mum!

[OCSC Mike]

Just now, Jamesszy94 said:

My RU Bid got accepted!

Congrats!

[asquared17]

yay for RU bid wins!!