John2910 Posted April 3, 2018 Report Share Posted April 3, 2018 Hello know it's early for that but I want to fly to vacation in Australia and New Zealand with my family in the summer of next year and after the trip I want to make a calm week on a cruise. So, I was searching for a details about a cruise that leaving from Australia / New Zealand and I found 2 kind of ships: Explorer and Radiance Of The Seas. But they're both old so I don't sure if it worth the money. Compared to Symphony of course it's not so fancy but I don't know if for first cruise it is still worth it/ What do you recommend doing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F1guynz Posted April 3, 2018 Report Share Posted April 3, 2018 There are 3 ships that sail from Australia and New Zealand: Ovation, Explorer and Radiance. Explorer does not come to New Zealand, it normally does Australia and the South Pacific whereas Ovation and Radiance come to NZ. Ovation is the newest of the ships and has some really cool features like iFly, FlowRider, North Star, Sea plex, bumper cars and plenty of specialty restaurants. radiance is the smallest ship and is slightly newer than Explorer. I would call that more of a traditional cruise ship, it doesn’t have a FlowRider or a lot of fancy stuff that Symphony has. It is more intimate and relaxing with trivia, bingo, rock climbing wall and mini golf to keep you amused. It has some nice pay dining venues like Chops, Izumi, Giovanni’s and Samba grill. It also has a nice dining room. Explorer is bigger and has a FlowRider and specialty restaurants. It has an ice skating rink and a large promenade with shops and restaurant. It also has the mini golf and rock climbing wall. We feel that Explorer offers us the best value but if the ship is more of a destination for you then Ovation maybe the way to go. It is definitely the largest and has the most choice in activities and entertainment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted April 3, 2018 Report Share Posted April 3, 2018 Just cause they are old doesn't mean they aren't worth doing. Some people prefer those ships for various and valid reasons. I would recommend you research all 3 ships...from photos to reviews to lists of things to do on each of them and then price and see what makes the most sense for your vacation. If this is your first cruise, I think you will enjoy any option you chose. My first cruise was on one of the oldest and smallest ships in the fleet(I didn't know any difference) and I was hooked and have done many cruises since so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John2910 Posted April 3, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2018 42 minutes ago, F1guynz said: There are 3 ships that sail from Australia and New Zealand: Ovation, Explorer and Radiance. Explorer does not come to New Zealand, it normally does Australia and the South Pacific whereas Ovation and Radiance come to NZ. Ovation is the newest of the ships and has some really cool features like iFly, FlowRider, North Star, Sea plex, bumper cars and plenty of specialty restaurants. radiance is the smallest ship and is slightly newer than Explorer. I would call that more of a traditional cruise ship, it doesn’t have a FlowRider or a lot of fancy stuff that Symphony has. It is more intimate and relaxing with trivia, bingo, rock climbing wall and mini golf to keep you amused. It has some nice pay dining venues like Chops, Izumi, Giovanni’s and Samba grill. It also has a nice dining room. Explorer is bigger and has a FlowRider and specialty restaurants. It has an ice skating rink and a large promenade with shops and restaurant. It also has the mini golf and rock climbing wall. We feel that Explorer offers us the best value but if the ship is more of a destination for you then Ovation maybe the way to go. It is definitely the largest and has the most choice in activities and entertainment. I didn’t understand you so well.. what is it mean if the ship is more of a destination? What I am looking for on a cruise is to have a lot of activities and interesting things to do and I don’t want that the bedrooms and the ship itself would feel like an old motel. Also, I Am looking for fun things to do when the ship stops at different destination. Is Royal Caribbean offers you tours and activities to do when you go down? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted April 3, 2018 Report Share Posted April 3, 2018 I would not judge either ship by their age. Great vessels to sail on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted April 3, 2018 Report Share Posted April 3, 2018 3 hours ago, John2910 said: I didn’t understand you so well.. what is it mean if the ship is more of a destination? What I am looking for on a cruise is to have a lot of activities and interesting things to do and I don’t want that the bedrooms and the ship itself would feel like an old motel. Also, I Am looking for fun things to do when the ship stops at different destination. Is Royal Caribbean offers you tours and activities to do when you go down? Some ships have a lot going on to the point you the ship is as much the reason to sail as the ports it visits. These tend to be the newer ships. That's not to say there is nothing going on onboard the last generation of ships, but sometimes the older ships don't have the whiz bang features like bumper cars or an elevated pod that rises into the air above the ship - these types of things didn't exist when ships were built 10-15 years ago. Many people prefer smaller ships for a better service experience onboard. Only you know what you are looking for so as offered, research each ship to see what looks best for what you are looking for. Royal Caribbean does offer many excursions at each port of call. When considering excursions the ship is irrelevant. Different ships tend to offer the same experience once you reach the port. Sometimes smaller ships are better because the excursion don't sell out as quickly (fewer people vying for the same excursions). Excursions are not included in your cruise fare, you have to pay extra and pricing varies. You can review the excursion offered by Royal Caribbean here: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contentWithGallery.do?pagename=shore_excursions_main&icid=hpnvbr_pagehe_shr_hm_awaren_943 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhageerah Posted April 6, 2018 Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 I have been on several classes of ships, from the smallest in their fleet, to the largest and I will have to agree with everyone here that has stated that the age does not matter. We sailed Majesty of the Seas over Christmas, and from all of the negative reviews I was expecting the worst cruise by far. Someone was onboard and wrote a blog about their experience and that actually made me feel MUCH better about our Christmas cruise. After getting onboard with an open mind, I did see that a few complaints were justified but that we were still going to have a great time. The size and age of the ship do not matter, its the crew and your attitude that will make or break any cruise. If you get onboard with the expectation that you will have a great time then you will have a great time! I will say that I prefer a larger ship for longer cruises but I was extremely happy with her, and she is currently the oldest ship in the fleet. Give it a chance, I am willing to bet that you will still have a great time! WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.