wynstay

They have dropped the corkage fee - we took two bottles of wine onboard last December and took one to the MDR - no corkage fee 😊

Angela, Sydney Australia.

Radiance of the Seas, Dec 2013.

Radiance of the Seas, Dec 2014.

Have just returned from Sth Pacific cruise- Mystery Island is tiny. You will only find a few local fisherman who will take you out to some good snorkeling sites ( nothing commercial offered ). These guys are friendly and cheap. Enjoy !

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

I'm getting conflicting information about buying drinks packages on board. We're taking our first cruise next month. 12 days so buying the package is quite pricey and, as 7 days will be in port, I'm not sure it's worth it.

 

As we haven't cruised before I don't really know how much and what we may drink. I'd like to wait until we've been on board for a few days and then decide. From the RCI FAQs on the website I understood you could buy the package as long as there were at least 4 days left and you would be charged pro-rata for the number of days. However, when I emailed RCI to confirm this I was told that you had to pay for the whole trip, even if you buy the package a few days in.

 

This seems to totally contradict what the website says. Can anyone confirm one way or another?

 

We decided against the drinks package for our cruise as we had 5 port days out of 10. We were also told you had to pay for the whole trip, no matter when you bought the package. The drinks are also very strong - many are cocktails with a number of different spirits in them. You also need to purchase an alcohol drinks package for every adult in your cabin - so if my husband bought one, I would have to also - would've been very expensive ! This doesn't apply to the soda package however. We had some conflicting info before we sailed last year so my husband rang the RCI office in Sydney and chatted to a lovely woman who answered all his questions - 100% correctly as it turned out :) Hope this helps :)

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Angela, Sydney Australia.

Radiance of the Seas, Dec 2013.

We are debating about buying the soda drink package with the souvenir glass that you use at the special drink machines. If we buy now on website its $53.00, I was told that if you wait to buy it on the ship the cost goes up. Not sure why it would be more on the ship vs paying ahead on website. Maybe someone that knows can comment?

I bought the soda package on board and it was the same price as buying beforehand. If you buy online I think you get the symbol printed on your seapass card - buy onboard and you get a sticker on your card. Pretty sure that was the only difference......

Angela, Sydney Australia.

Radiance of the Seas, Dec 2013.

We'll be taking our first cruise to the South Pacific next year.

 

 

 

I've noticed that snorkeling is frequently mentioned as shore excursions or 'not to be missed thing to do'.

 

 

 

I've never snorkeled and although I can tread water...I really can't swim. So here's the stupid question, would you snorkel if you couldn't really swim?

 

 

 

Do people use floatation devices to stay near the surface but still enjoy the underwater view?

Hi, we did this cruise last year with RCL and loved it so much we're going back this year ! Many of the snorkelling sites are close to shore ( tho to see good coral and varieties of fish, I'm told you need to go further out than before due to the numbers of ships coming through now and the constant trampling by many of the passengers :( . Having said that, we certainly saw a good variety on Lifou; Isle of Pines and Mystery Island without going into very deep water. You could use floaties once you're out far enough for safety - though I would recommend taking a swim partner with you as its easy to go out further while you're looking down into the water ! The ocean was fairly flat while we were there, so walking out and back was not a problem - this was in December. Hope this helps and you enjoy your cruise :)

Angela, Sydney Australia.

Radiance of the Seas, Dec 2013.

Do they swipe your card each time to keep track of how much you drink?

No for Soda package, yes for alcoholic drinks packages :)

Angela, Sydney Australia.

Radiance of the Seas, Dec 2013.

Was this a travel steam iron, or a handheld steamer? Trying to decide if it is worth it for me to buy a travel handheld steamer ( not iron) for the cruise. Thanks

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

It seems to vary for each ship and port of departure ! We packed one for use on Radiance OTS leaving from Sydney and had no issues at all. Others on these threads have had them confiscated . We rang our local RCI office to check before sailing and the advice they gave us was correct for our port. Maybe you could do the same if you think there's a chance they will confiscate one you bring ?

Angela, Sydney Australia.

Radiance of the Seas, Dec 2013.

We are tempted too and have decided to take it :) We might as well try a JS at a good price, tho I hope we don't get too spoiled ! Thanks for your replies and advice...

Hi again,

The booking has come through and the cabin # is 1548 which is close to the one your friends had and weren't bothered by noise. We're prepared for a bit of deck chair shuffling but I was just thinking about all the dance competitions they had on the pool forecourt and wondered if you would feel/hear vibrations from all the Dancing Queens :) ? We're about 75% sure we'll take the booking....might even phone the RCL office in Sydney in the next few days and ask them...

This cruising can get a bit addictive, can't it ? :)

Angela, Sydney Australia.

Thanks :) We're looking at the cruise b4 yours.....we did a similar one last year, but had a balcony cabin on Deck 9 which was just perfect. We're deciding whether to hang out for a fair price on one of those or take this offer. We only booked in July last year, so we might be lucky again this year :) Happy sailing to you - looks like you've got lots to look forward to !

Angela, Sydney Australia.

Thank you for the reply :) Hubby and I will think about whether we take the risk on a JS....do love the ship tho, so if we can get a balcony cabin on Deck 9 at a good price, I think we might choose that instead. Happy travels to you :)

Angela, Sydney Australia.

Oh no! We got a great deal on a junior suite located fairly central on the sale in January, and then last night I was looking at some Celebrity Solstice cruises and found a 12 nighter for the same cost per night as the 10 night we had on Rhapsody - so a little dearer, but also they were giving $300 obc compared to the $150 we had lined up with the onboard booking bonus. It does end in Auckland, so it also will cost for a flight home, but we might spend a few days in NZ if we can. So we have booked it! It overlaps with the Rhapsody trip, so we will be cancelling that :(

 

 

 

It is a balcony of approx. 194 sq feet as opposed to 244 on JS on Rhapsody, but I had major concerns on the noise from the deck above. We have not had a quiet JS cabin in our cruising history with a strike rate of 3 noisy for 3 booked on Rhapsody and Radiance. I think the ones right on the aft on Rhapsody are better noise wise, but I really wanted to go central after all the walking on this last Radiance trip.

 

 

 

We have been keen to do Solstice, but have generally found these sort of trips to be a bit dearer than the Royal Caribbean ships, and I didn't think anything could beat the deal we got on Rhapsody. So when I added up the price, checked it again and double checked it, I just jumped at the price. The cabin on Rhapsody also included a diamond balcony discount, as well as supposedly $1400 off per person, and going by current prices, it was off the regular rates. The Solstice price seemed to be around half of what I had researched a few months back.

 

 

 

We will have to catch up again on another trip! I am sure we will :)

Hi, was interested in your comment about poor strike rate on JS cabins. We love the Radiance too and have been offered a good price on a JS in Dec but are worried about the possibility of noise - that would really spoil our cruise. I read your blog ( fantastic ! ) and note the overhang on the balcony too which I didn't think either. Do you know if most of the JS cabins on Level 10 have noise ? Our offer is a "cabin guarantee" so we won't know which one till just before sailing. Appreciate any advice,

Angela, Sydney Australia.

I stayed in JS 1576 last year and heard no noise from above.

Thank you :)

Angela, Sydney Australia.

Yes, we've stayed in this stateroom. Didn't have any noise issues. Loved it.:)

 

I did a review on the top of the RCI page.

 

Sticky-RC cabin info compilation.

Hi, do you happen to know if the the JS cabins on Deck 10 have noise issues ? We're thinking of booking one for Dec but get conflicting advice - some say they are quiet, some say they hear restaurant noise and deck chair scraping....am thinking of the ones midship, not the aft ones which seem highly desirable and already booked :) Thanks .......

Angela, Sydney Australia.

We were on Deck 10 on the Radiance for B2B's around AU & NZ - 34 nights onboard. On the first leg of the cruise, we were in 1094 and it was horribly noisy; we had thought we'd be under the seating area of Izumi above us, but the cabins are actually under the kitchen area. Starting at 5:00am, we had very loud sporadic noises that sounded like huge garbage disposals or coffee grinders, along with lots of other noise. This went on all day and into the evening. For the 2nd half, we were thankfully in 1100 and it was blissfully quiet. When we were out on the huge balcony, we occasionally could hear people talking or laughing on the open area of the Windjammer above us, but it didn't bother us at all.

 

 

 

Have they really guaranteed you 'mid-ship'? Almost all the Jr. Suites are aft and under some part of the Windjammer. If you are sensitive to noise, I'd certainly take earplugs and/or a white noise machine and hope for the best.

Thanks for this info. The email with quote definitely says midship, so am guessing we would not be allocated #1100 which so many people say is their preference. Will be asking some more questions b4 we put down the deposit.....

Angela, Sydney Australia.

Hi Everyone,

We've been offered a great price on a JS on Radiance in December ( cabin no. still to be confirmed but it will be midship ) We have sailed on her before, but we were on Deck 9. Am wondering if the JS cabins are noisy in general ? Would appreciate comments from anyone who has had one of these cabins recently :) Tried to search in Cabin Reviews but didn't come up with much... TIA,

Angela, Sydney Australia.

[Q UOTE=HPSOV;42078365]I booked a GS on a 10 night Rhapsody cruise for $2400pp about a month ago. Now they want double that, even a balcony is now $2900pp.

RCI wins the award for random pricing.

Just wondering - were you able to choose which suite you wanted or will that be allocated later ? We've been offered some good deals by TAs but only on a cabin guarantee basis i.e. we don't know which cabin until a couple of days before....thx :)

Angela, Sydney Australia.

The Tassie cruise looked very cheap compared to most of the others - but its not my ideal cruise - prefer warmer places and beaches :) Would be disappointed to book that only to find cabins on South Pacific cruises for example dropped in a month's time.....

Angela, Sydney Australia.

Hi there, we were on the same cruise perhaps? Ours sailed on the 10th of Dec. Yeah, the prices this year are nuts! Against what we paid last year it's gone up $1000 per person!!!

That's the one ! Great, wasn't it ? We thought of going on the one leaving 7th Dec this year which also goes to Champagne Bay on Rhapsody I think - but the prices ! Couldn't justify it... See you went up the Qld coast on a cruise - was that good ? Hubby isn't too adventurous ( yet LOL ) so we're staying close to home for the moment...will try emailing a few agencies for a quote and do the price/service comparison you suggested - thanks !

Angela, Sydney Australia.

Prices have gone up because of the sale thats on at the moment

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Forums mobile app

Hi folks,

Was just looking at the sale ad in the Sunday paper - this is the "Royal Flush" one on for a week - I know they've had a few :). We went on the Radiance to South Pacific last Dec - had a great time and paid about $1800 each for a balcony suite. Didn't get it at sale time - was our first cruise and had to talk my husband into it - now he wants to do another LOL ! Looking at RCL website I see what people mean about fluctuating prices - same cruise this year we'd be paying $2300 each ( at the moment ). Can I ask - do Aussie cruisers prefer to use a TA ( ours wasn't that great, but there are plenty nearby to choose from ) or go direct to RCL website, or use a cruise agency online ? We just want to pay a reasonable price ( unfortunately locked into taking them in school holidays ) and be able to choose our cabin ( not end up with a "cabin category guarantee" - any suggestions ? TIA,

Angela, Sydney Australia.

You will have the pleasure of knowing what day of the week it is, when you enter the elevators, on FOTS :cool:

Happens on Radiance too....nice oval plaques with brass ( ? ) lettering showing the day :) If you're interested in some of the features and cabins on FOTS, someone is bound to have uploaded some footage on You Tube. I found some of Radiance before we went - was good to see what was in cabins and some of the general layout....Enjoy your cruise !

Angela, Sydney Australia.

Hi Angela.

 

 

 

We started with TAs many years ago.

 

More recently a big 'cruise co mpany' tried to charge us a booking fee, so we complained and had it cancelled, and stopped using them.

 

 

 

These days if we ask for a quote from a TA, we find they do exactly what I can do, log onto the website, and just quote the same figure that we can get.

 

 

 

Usually we book the next one while on board, for the OBC. I have booked direct on line with no problems.

 

 

 

The biggest problem I have had, is if we need to ring the reservations department about anything, I know more than they do.:eek:

Thanks for this - sorry, been offline for a while :( Think I might be booking online.....do you get to choose your cabin that way too ? From other posts, I get the impression you can ?

Angela, Sydney Australia.

Hi,

It was mainly service and advice. Tho advertising as cruise 'specialists' our TA eventually admitted she had mainly only sailed with P & O, so her info on any RCL ship was limited. I was also given an incorrect booking no. which meant I couldn't log in after paying the deposit. I thought ( being a newbie ) that we couldn't log in until we'd made full payment, till someone on here kindly told me that was incorrect. We also had to push three times to get a definite cabin allocation - being our first cruise and I have some health issues, I wanted a definite cabin no before we sailed. Had we not already paid a non-refundable deposit, we would've gone elsewhere. I book most of my travel online these days as I find the prices far more competitive than any TA has ever been able to offer me. Was just wondering if it was the same for cruising....:)

Hi Aussie FF,

It was a great cruise, wasn't it ? Our first, but not our last :) I notice you've got a few cruises booked - can I ask whether you use a TA or book online ? Our experience with a reputable TA wasn't the best....wondered if we should look for another TA or book direct with cruise line ? Appreciate any advice :confused:

Planning to book a cruise at Christmas based on these three port stops. What are the chances of these ports being cancelled due to weather in December?

 

 

 

Has anyone been to Wala? Is the snorkelling any good?

We cruised on Radiance from 10-20 Dec last year. Had perfect weather - tendering wasn't a problem anywhere.However, cyclones come through this region quite regularly, so there's no guarantee. Haven't heard of Wala - going to Google it now :)

Angela, Sydney Australia.