geoff2802

That sounds sensible. Newark is my preference due to proximity but we’ll probably be flying on AA to LAX on a Qantas ticket and JFK seems to be the only option. Thanks also for car service suggestions - appreciated.

Hi all, Apologies if this has been answered earlier in this thread (couldn’t find it by searching). DW and I are booked on a cruise that is scheduled to arrive at Liberty Port at 7am on a Thursday. What is a reasonable earliest time for a domestic flight from JFK? I would pre-arrange a transfer and can carry our bags off the ship if necessary. Thanks in advance.

I’m hoping fora revenue repo from Singapore to Brisbane after drydock.

They might accept different pre-existing conditions. Or just a different underwriting person made the decision. I'm looking at Annual Multi Trip policies as we have 3 overseas trips in the next 12 months, so the cost is quite significant.

I'm currently arranging travel insurance for a few cruise holidays and found this thread useful. I found that Qantas' travel insurance is underwritten by NIB (the health insurer). I checked out NIB's direct travel insurance offer. https://www.nibtravelinsurance.com.au . The risks covered are very similar and NIB has higher coverage limits for some items. NIB is about 10% cheaper than Qantas for us (ages 59 and 56). YMMV. I can't vouch for the claims experience of either, although NIB probably processes Qantas' claims anyway.

We might get an update on Lelepa when they announce the Aus deployment. Don’t see why they would cut back to 2 ships if they plan to have Lelepa up and running for that season.

I’d have thought bookings would have appeared in Melbourne’s port calendar by now. None have.

Yeah not much variation. Why?

You’re right…. All but one of the 2024/25 entries in Sydney OPT calendar for Vision have now gone.

All good points. They will also get Japanese on board these longer cruises. Might need the cost of airfares to fall before they see a lot of inbound from US, Australia, Europe, UK. Hopefully it works out and we see more longer Asia itineraries from Royal. Like many, we have cruised with Princess (from Singapore) because Royal wasn’t offering interesting itineraries.

You’re right and I wonder about Royal’s strategy for Asia. Pre-pandemic they targeted new cruisers, sourced locally with mostly short cruises. What is their strategy now? Do they have one?

Thanks for sharing. I see this as a cautious re-entry to North Asia for Royal, requiring no re-deployment, no home porting commitment and minimal impact if it doesn’t work out. I still think there is an opportunity for Royal in Japan. Maybe they are exploring this in a small low risk way.

As you say, we’ll need to see the next round of updates to Sydney’s port calendar. Re: The world cruise visits… Isn’t it just first come first served when it comes to port bookings?

Hey springaussie, There are numerous entries in the Sydney port calendar from Oct 2024 to April 2025 in the name Vision of the Seas, in addition to Ovation’s many bookings.

They’ve had a big reset on China of course (anyone with basic awareness of the developing geopolitical situation could see that coming, regardless of the pandemic). So, no O-class for China any time soon. Singapore is the obvious home port to grow presence in Asia…. modern cruise terminal with spare capacity, great air hub with a big range of flights, stable, open, safe and the government is eager to grow tourism. It’s a no brainer! Would the ports that Spectrum currently calls at cater for O-class? I think Penang was a pretty large commercial port. But Langkawi? Royal would need a plan to replace Spectrum.

Thanks Chilli. Higher revenue onboard Quantum? Queenslanders drink like fish 🍺 😉

Alaska a better choice for Anthem?

Royal wants to grow the Aus/NZ market, so 2 ships seems very unlikely. Gavin would be managing to a revenue target for the market and the likely late arrival of Quantum leaves a bit of a hole. But the key point is that capacity from Sydney can only be grown by deploying bigger ships.

And because no evidence has been found, I gather Anthem is either replacing an existing deployment (eg Brilliance - h/t springaussie) or going to a market for which schedules are not accessible. Agree with you regarding China deployment. Too much risk for Royal. Few cruises or a short season from HK maybe.

You mean 4 (Sydney - 2, Brisbane, Singapore)? Yes, if Brilliance leaves Sydney, Anthem is the obvious available replacement. They should be able to fill 2 Q-class from Sydney. Options for the Southern winter would include Alaska or year round Australia. The former seems more likely. Wondering if Utopia could replace an O-class in Florida and an older one goes to Singapore.

Well spotted. Anyone found evidence of Anthem’s 2024/25 deployment?

Gavin Smith seems very happy with sales in both Brisbane and Sydney. Maybe talking it up, but there doesn’t seem to be big discounts offered. Carnival is struggling to sell Luminosa though.

Perhaps they believe Lelepa will be up and running (even if only in a rudimentary way) for that season. If this is the case, the removal of those port bookings may not indicate a ship change…. They would want to sent Brilliance to Lelepa on just about every cruise. Of course they would also need more bookings at OPT during this time - probably an issue.

We know the easiest way Royal can grow volume from Sydney is bigger ships, not more ships. That may be the motivation for possibly replacing Brilliance. Like many, I prefer the smaller ships for the South Pacific ports.

Attempting to arrest a cartel figure will do that. Seems to have affected Culiacan where they have protection. I’d still cruise there now. BTW, the book “Hunting El Chapo” tells a fascinating story of the man, the cartel and the DEA’s and Mexican Marines’ pursuit of him.