SpainAlien

We docked in Napier today. There is a well organised shuttle bus service in to the centre of the town dropping you off right in front of i-Site.  The town was pretty much destroyed in anearthquake in 1931 so it was all rebuilt in the art deco style of that age.  Very pretty little town. 

If when you get to i-Site you go straight in they have some tours available. We chose one to go up to TeMata lookout which was pretty.

Tonight was "Crazy Quest" which was great fun followed by the White party and music from Pulso which was mostly rock music.

We went to Jamie's for tea last night. Staff were great, explained the menu well and insisted on bringing extra dishes out.  The bruschetta was excellent as was the meat plank, we both had the shrimp fettucine which was nice then I had the lamb chops and my aunt had the ribs, both very  nice. We finished up with a banana split and the tirimisu.  All in all we were happy with our choices and would go back on future sailings

New revised itinerary

1 hour ago, DbPA said:

Oh no. That stinks!  That’s 2 weeks in row skipping Dunedin. (I think). Are you still supposed to go through Sounds?

So far we are still going to Napier, Picton, Wellington and the Sounds unless something else happens 

I finally tracked it down on the Ovation. The ONLY place they had it was the Solarium bistro

Ok, so Bay of Islands was a disaster. We arrived at 10am but by 2pm we were still waiting to be called for our tender.  We went to guest services and they said that they would escort us on to the next tender, we left the ship at 2.45pm. 

Once on the pier we joined the queue for the shuttle bus to Piahai, where we waited for another half hour.  The shuttle bus took abour 10 minutes but by the time we got in to town it was 3.45pm and the last tender back to the ship was due back at 7pm.  Being mindful the how long it had taken to get there we decided to head back at about 5pm and sure enough the queue for the tender was enormous, fortunately there is a small yacht club right by the bus stop so we ducked in there and waited for the queue to die down, we were on the 6.30pm tender back to the ship.  

We were due to be in Auckland today, loads of people have independant excursions booked but here we are 2am still in Bay of Islands. Apparently the winch brake on tender number 4 failed so they had trouble getting it onboard.  According to the casino staff today is now a sea day.  No announcements and no news on the TV other than the ship's position

Today was the day that was the reason why I booked this cruise. Today I was going to Hobbiton.  It has taken months of planning how to get there and buy the tickets for the right time. Everything that we have arranged is non-refundable because we are less than 24 hours out.  

Incidentally, we have already lost Dunedin from the itinerary that we booked due to the tides

We went ti the Ovation Rocks party last night is was lively and good fun. Sit downstairs in Two70 for this so you can get down to the dance floor easily. 

We had a good search around our cabin last night and realised we didn't have a hairdryer. We weren't sure if RCCL had stopped putting them in cabins but a quick phone call to guest services and the volunteered to send one right up.  I don't know what had happened to ours maybe tye last guest took it or maybe it is away for repair but either way they were happy to get us one.

Sorrentos: lovely pizza, the special one was spicy chicken on day 2, day 3 was carnivores pizza.  I don't know if there is any other late night food venue open but i was disappointed that Cafe Two70 wasn't open when the Ovation Rocks party finished. I will investigate further

We're in Bay of Islands today and Auckland tomorrow. We got a leaflet in our cabin telling us about the shuttle buses for Napier, Picton & Wellington but today we have to go the the Royal theatre after we have docked to get tender tickets, they just want one person per cabin to go

I meant to say, we have a virtual balcony and we have a kettle and tea/coffee facilities. Everything I had read had said that we wouldn't but certainly going out of Sydney we have.

5 hours ago, SpainAlien said:

 ñottle 

Sorry, this supposed to read "little" but I've got a new phone and the keyboard is different size

The New Zealand wars lecture was quite hard work and I'm afraid to say that fell asleep for a minute or two.  Lots of dates, locations and names you won't remember

Next bit is Fish n Ships: quite nice but it's a shame the fish isn't a little thicker. The batter is nice and the chips are too. Don't forget to pick up your ñottle wooden fork from the counter

1 hour ago, DbPA said:

Anxious to read how your weather is, and if any port cancels like last week. We will be on the next cruise. 

It was good yesterday but today is dark clouds and a bit windy. Tonight's show has been postponed due to the movement of the ship.  The forecast isn't too bad for this week in NZ though so fingers crossed

10 minutes ago, WELDON said:

That bread is a stollen. Yes, they do. If you don't see it, ask someone. On my cruise last month, it was near the muffins. 

Excellent, thank you I know to look for it now

I boarded Ovation of the Seas a couple of days ago in Sydney and thought I would give a little review of my experiences.

Starlink: I was getting 20mb download in Sydney but now we are now halfway between Sydney and New Zealand so we are getting up to 3mb

MDR food: generally tasty and a good choice 

MDR service: friendly and helpful

Solarium Bistro: food was nice but service was slow with empty plates being left on the tables for a good half hour even though it was less than half full

Two70: nice venue for quizzes but limited view from a lot of seats for shows like Spectra's Cabaret.  Get her at least 20 minutes early to get a seat

Music Hall:  this venue is too small for trivia on cruises out of Sydney. Loads of people want to do the triv but can't get a seat.

Pool terrace: loads of chairs by the pool, no towels reserving seats. The Aussies don't seem to want to sunbathe

North Star: if you want to take pictures make sure you put your camera right up to the glass because otherwise you get a lot of reflection

IFly:  great fun.  I'm 60, overweight and not fit but if you just relax and do what you are told you'll have a good time.

We still onboard for another 10 days so if you have a question let me know

Last time I was on a Royal Caribbean ship was before covid and in Windjammer they used to have a lovely sweet bread with crystallised sugar on the top, I'm now on Ovation of the Seas and I can't find it, do they still do it?

18 minutes ago, bonsai3s said:

LB, did you have to get a New Zealand visa? 

 

* I know U.S. citizens have to apply for Aussie visa...but couldn't remember if NZ visa was required when sailing out of Sydney then visiting NZ. Thank you.

Look up the NZeta  You can get an app for your phone to apply which makes it easy

10 hours ago, little britain said:

We have been given OBC for the inconvenience 

 

 

Is it particularly windy?

Thanks guys, I'll try to get hold of her again this afternoon when they open.  Although I live in Spain this booking was done through Casinos At Sea in the US so US terms apply

Final payment is due tomorrow and I can't get hold of my Norwegian cruise consultant. I sent her an email yesterday but she hasn't replied yet. My question is if I just don't make final payment will it automatically cancel and reimburse my deposit?

Sorry, another question: is Fish n Ships complimentary (except for lobster)? There is conflicting info online.

2 hours ago, LEMlrm said:

Thanks! I plan to ask on board for sure. 

Also there is a shuttle bus at Livorno from the port to the town so check when that is running if you intend to use it.

Do you know if all classes of cabins have kettles? We are in a lowly inside cabin so I doubt it but I can hope.  We board on 9th Feb, will you still be onboard then?

On 11/2/2023 at 11:49 PM, Biker19 said:

There's no limit other than all the punches being used up. Speaking of which, don't buy the card until on board and you ask the barista how many punches per drink of the kind you will order.

Quick question, is it the same price onboard as it is in the cruise planner?

1 hour ago, little britain said:

Will do, on Brilliance at the mo… get on Ovation on 21st. 

Oh thank you, sorry I thought you were already onboard. We board on 9th Feb.

Hi @little britain, I hope you are enjoying your time on Ovation of the Seas.  Could you tell us what the entertainment onboard is? We only have Spectra's Cabaret showing up in the planner and I wondered if there were any production shows in the main theatre.

Many thanks 

Gail 

19 hours ago, Anton said:

Note that there are no physical coupons anymore.  The various discounts are electronically loaded to the specific C&A member's cruise card. 

So if you don't actually get coupons do you get a letter in your cabin telling you what each person's card is loaded with?

Thank you all, I'm looking forward to it already. I doubt we will do it again and again but just for 2024 I think it will be a welcome change.