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Sydney Back to Back


DRLPP

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Posting my first topic as I finally created a profile. Needed to, as the first thing I do in the morning is check the RCblog.  Recently retired and my wife and I are doing a B2B, 11 night, out of Sydney to NZ and then 11 night to South Pacific on Radiance in March/April of 2020. We are Diamond level so we know the basics. We are spending 5 nights precruise in the Rocks area of Sydney.  Have a few questions to put out there. 1: we have same balcony cabin, with B2B do we need to disembark ship or are we assigned to a lounge to wait out boarding?,  2: On an 11 night, does menu repeat after 7 days?  We will probably do some of the specialty restaurants especially on second cruise but wanting to plan out for possible packages. 3: Should we expect any extra perks from RC other than typical Diamond since we are doing B2B? 4:Any "must do" ideas for Sydney, NZ or South Pacific? 5: Anyone stayed at the Rendezvous Hotel in the Rocks area? I have already gotten lots of ideas online from different sights but wanted some other input.  I know, lots of questions. Thanks in advance for any thoughts or ideas. DRLPP  (Larry)

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On other ships were I've done more than 7 nights then menu hasn't repeated verbatim, rather it's the same menu items you've seen before in different combinations.  Night one might have chicken, beef and fish.  Night 8 might be Lamb from night 2, beef, and the lasagna from night 4 or something to that effect.  One new item may be introduced here or there.  To be honest I've usually found something that interests me, even when I've done 19 nights on a B2B.

On longer cruises some nights I simply go to the Windjammer for dinner for a different experience.  Dinner in the WJ tend not to be as busy as lunch or breakfast there and there is usually everything there is create a nice dinner.  Dinner rolls, salad options, variety of main entrees and ample choices of sides.  There are some nice theme nights in the WJ too.

On B2B I haven't seen any perks other than a special lunch for consecutive cruisers on day 1 of the next cruise.  If you haven't already make sure to inform Royal that you are indeed consecutive cruisers, or have your travel agent do it, it's not an automatic thing as each cruise is distinct and separate from the next with new SeaPass cards, new onboard account, etc.

In the US while doing a B2B you must disembark, visit US customs and wait with other consecutive cruisers to re-board once local authorities clear the ship.    Consecutive cruisers are the first to board, followed by wedding parties and then pinnacle/suites, D+, D, etc.  I'm not sure if the AU authorities have the same procedures.

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We are taking the Radiance this September from Honolulu to Sydney.  It is a eighteen night Transpacific and when we dock in Sydney we have reservations to stay at the Rendezvous Hotel in the Rocks area.  We have several excursions booked while we are in Sydney including an all day trip (Blue Mountain & Wildlife with Cruise - 10 hours) to the Blue Mountains which is by AAT Kings Day Tours. Other excursions booked are Australian Wildlife 4WD Tour from Sydney by Boutique Tours and a Sunset Dinner Cruise (Captain Cook Cruise).  We are then going to Cairns and after several days end up in Melbourne before returning home. 

As for the B2B disembarking, we have found that many ports vary their handling of this process.  Having never been to Australia, we are not sure how and what customs require.  Normally you would probably meet in a lounge and they will walk everyone together to customs and board the ship with your new seapass card.  We have sometimes had Custom Agents come on board to review documents.  There is usually a private lunch for people doing B2B sailings (provided there is a large group).  The lunch would be one of the perks for doing a B2B and also the privilege to access your stateroom anytime during the day.  

After we return we can let you know about the hotel and excursions we did or any other "must sees".

Hope this may help. Welcome to the Blog.

 

 

 

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5 hours ago, SouthernYankee said:

We are taking the Radiance this September from Honolulu to Sydney.  It is a eighteen night Transpacific and when we dock in Sydney we have reservations to stay at the Rendezvous Hotel in the Rocks area.  We have several excursions booked while we are in Sydney including an all day trip (Blue Mountain & Wildlife with Cruise - 10 hours) to the Blue Mountains which is by AAT Kings Day Tours. Other excursions booked are Australian Wildlife 4WD Tour from Sydney by Boutique Tours and a Sunset Dinner Cruise (Captain Cook Cruise).  We are then going to Cairns and after several days end up in Melbourne before returning home. 

As for the B2B disembarking, we have found that many ports vary their handling of this process.  Having never been to Australia, we are not sure how and what customs require.  Normally you would probably meet in a lounge and they will walk everyone together to customs and board the ship with your new seapass card.  We have sometimes had Custom Agents come on board to review documents.  There is usually a private lunch for people doing B2B sailings (provided there is a large group).  The lunch would be one of the perks for doing a B2B and also the privilege to access your stateroom anytime during the day.  

After we return we can let you know about the hotel and excursions we did or any other "must sees".

Hope this may help. Welcome to the Blog.

Thank you for the info. I would really appreciate your reporting on the trip and especially on the hotel and the excursions. One of the Blue Mountains tours is also on our list as well.

 

 

 

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14 hours ago, DRLPP said:

We are spending 5 nights precruise in the Rocks area of Sydney. 

Any "must do" ideas for Sydney, NZ or South Pacific?

Hi! Let me welcome you (in advance) to my beautiful Australia - hope you will enjoy your stay! ?

If you're staying in The Rocks, there's always a visit to the Sydney Opera House, or if you're truly feeling adventurous, the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb.  It's been a while since I've stayed in The Rocks, but there's probably still a walking tour to cover the history of the area, if that's your thing. Or perhaps jump on a ferry at Circular Quay and cross the Harbour to visit Taronga Zoo and see our adorable wildlife. 

Can't advise on South Pacific or NZ must-do ideas - my cruises to those locations aren't til 2019 and 2020!

 

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19 hours ago, DRLPP said:

Posting my first topic as I finally created a profile. Needed to, as the first thing I do in the morning is check the RCblog.  Recently retired and my wife and I are doing a B2B, 11 night, out of Sydney to NZ and then 11 night to South Pacific on Radiance in March/April of 2020. We are Diamond level so we know the basics. We are spending 5 nights precruise in the Rocks area of Sydney.  Have a few questions to put out there. 1: we have same balcony cabin, with B2B do we need to disembark ship or are we assigned to a lounge to wait out boarding?,  2: On an 11 night, does menu repeat after 7 days?  We will probably do some of the specialty restaurants especially on second cruise but wanting to plan out for possible packages. 3: Should we expect any extra perks from RC other than typical Diamond since we are doing B2B? 4:Any "must do" ideas for Sydney, NZ or South Pacific? 5: Anyone stayed at the Rendezvous Hotel in the Rocks area? I have already gotten lots of ideas online from different sights but wanted some other input.  I know, lots of questions. Thanks in advance for any thoughts or ideas. DRLPP  (Larry)

Hi Larry, welcome along. You've chosen two cruises that I like to think of as Australia's equivalent of Caribbean and Alaskan cruises. South Pacific - beautiful beaches, palm trees, etc. and New Zealand - spectacularly breathtakingly, jaw-dropping scenery. And B2b!!  You'll have a fantastic time.

Further to June May's suggestion, I recommend the Bridge Climb.  Or simply wander around Circular Quay and visit the Opera House.  For a decent breakfast or dinner I'd recommend Pancakes on the Rocks.

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Hi, depending on the ports you are visiting while in New Zealand I would suggest taking a look at the following attractions to see if they are of interest to you. We have been to these ports via a ship but we didn't do any of the ship tours as we had been previously as part of a land based tour.

Bay Of Islands - Russell is a nice place to visit as one of the original settlements in New Zealand. The Duke of Russell tavern is the oldest tavern is the oldest pub in NZ and is always popular for a drink and spot of lunch. particularly nice in the sun. There are plenty of historic sites to visit and well as souvenir shops.                                                                                                    Waitangi treaty grounds are also worth a visit if you are interested in NZ history. This is where the "Treaty of Waitangi", one of NZ important founding documents was signed.

There is also a boat trip to the "hole in the rock" if you feel like getting off the ship and hopping onto another boat.

Auckland: The largest city in New Zealand so plenty of choice on things to do here. For a birds eye view you can visit the sky tower for a 360 view of Auckland. If you are feeling adventurous you can also walk around the top or bungy jump off it if you prefer. You can also do a bridge climb on the harbour bridge.

Waiheke Island is a fantastic place to visit if you have time. This is where some of our famous wineries are located.

Napier: Some beautiful art deco buildings here. The town had to rebuilt after the 1931 earthquake which is why art deco is so prominent here.

Wellington: The capital city. Te Papa museum is well worth a visit. Some parts of the museum are free but there usually special exhibits that require an entry fee. Weka workshops are also in Wellington and may be worth a visit if you are a fan of the Lord of the Rings movies.

Wellington can be very windy but on a nice day the harbour front is a lovely place for lunch. After lunch you can take a ride on the cable cars to the cable car museum.

Picton: A trip to Blenheim and the wineries is always popular. Some fantastic wineries here. We really enjoyed Wither Hills

Dunedin: This city is very Scottish due to the original inhabitants. The Speights brewery tour was fun. There is also the Early Settlers museum which is worth a visit. If you want to see some wildlife there are some world acclaimed tours you can take in Dunedin.

I hope you find some of this helpful.

 

 

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7 hours ago, F1guynz said:

Weka workshops are also in Wellington and may be worth a visit if you are a fan of the Lord of the Rings movies.

I'm curious if the guided tours to Hobbiton and the other LOTR set areas are something that could be done on a cruise ship stay. Looks like the Hobbiton set is pretty far off from Auckland, close to Matamata; I'm guessing that's much too far away to be able to do something like that if you're not on a land vacation with a few days to spend on the island?

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30 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

I'm curious if the guided tours to Hobbiton and the other LOTR set areas are something that could be done on a cruise ship stay. Looks like the Hobbiton set is pretty far off from Auckland, close to Matamata; I'm guessing that's much too far away to be able to do something like that if you're not on a land vacation with a few days to spend on the island?

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/shoreExcursions/product/detail/view.do?sourcePage=shorexByPort&ProductCode=AK60&DestinationCode=AUSTL

 

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On 7/16/2018 at 10:09 PM, JLMoran said:

I'm curious if the guided tours to Hobbiton and the other LOTR set areas are something that could be done on a cruise ship stay. Looks like the Hobbiton set is pretty far off from Auckland, close to Matamata; I'm guessing that's much too far away to be able to do something like that if you're not on a land vacation with a few days to spend on the island?

You can do the Hobbiton tours best from Tauranga rather than Auckland - shorter drive. I know this because it is the entire reason I booked my New Zealand cruise in 2020 ?

 

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The opera house and the bridge climb are a must do.  I am going to do both of the bridge climbs. One is during daylight and the other is  at night time. Doing both so as to get as many pictures as possible. As well as the thrill of the climb and the beauty of the experience.  It is not rock climbing and people of all ages do it.  Basically you climb up the stairs and then walk across and then back down the stairs. Enjoy the cruise and WELCOME to the blog.  

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