NumnuT_OZ

16 minutes ago, oskarNZ said:

Can someone tell me what the “country’s cutest marsupial” is please? 

Quokka's on Rottnest Island Western Australia i guess, they love a selfie!

9 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Wilson Island looks beautiful.

I agree 100%...

A max of i think 12 ppl, 6 x luxury tents..

Go in summer months for turtle hatchlings most nights!

a 30 min boat ride from Heron to Wilson

we were there in 2009

love lady Elliott also, so many turtles & reef sharks to snorkel with!

On 5/16/2023 at 6:20 AM, MMDown Under said:

Any major star islands missing?

Queensland - 

Moreton Island

Stradbroke Island 

Heron Island on southern Great Barrier Reef

Lady Elliot Island

Whitsunday islands

Western Australia -

Abrolhos Islands

Lord Howe & Wilson Islands are personal favs...

Will get to Lizard Island when I win lotto...

OK thanks

Has today's Splendour cruise had a change of schedule?

nasty cyclone coming down from QLD 

1 minute ago, ozcruizier said:

Wow very nice and lucky !!!

that's for sure,

just want to quantify "flat calm" as being seas under 3m for a 300m ship!

13 hours ago, NSWP said:

With NZ be prepared for anything weatherwise.☂️🌊💨🌧🌤☀️

Exactly this....

you need to pack for everything, hot sun, sunscreen, poring rain, jackets & jumpers.

We were VERY lucky on Ovation depart Sydney on 23 Dec 2022.

flat calm for the first 10 days, 24 degrees & sunny in the sounds & Dunedin, Christchurch & Tauranga.

missed Bay of Islands stop & was too rough to tender.

Another perfect 3 days cruise home, with a 25 knot easterly pushing us back to Sydney

was great!

I must confess that I was a little dissapointed that there were no "WOW" bands this trip.

Had the WOW bands last cruise on Ovation and it was great, except you still needed your seapass to buy anything.

22 hours ago, Michael61 said:

I e en handed my loyalty pins in it was that bad hope you have a better time.

I'm sorry you disliked your cruise so much you handed in your pins.

Nothing of what you mentioned would be a deal breaker for me. each to his/her own i suppose.

I(Diamond)had to got guest services twice to ensure the correct credit card was being used.

They kept trying to use the card i booked the cruise with 18 months ago that had expired.

I though to myself, hey I am on a $1b dollar cruise ship cruising around NZ with great weather.

Not really much to complain about for me, 20 mins out of a 12 night cruise,

First World problems?

Cheers
CS

15 hours ago, fairywren said:

Concierge lounge. Usually 5-8pm for GS

was wondering if my 4 vouchers for Diamond are on top of free drinks in SL from 5-8?

thanks for the replies,

on Ovation last week there were only 6 Pins i believe from 4,000 ppl, so not a big issue in SL.

What about D+? can they goto SL if not in a suite? 

cruise is Dec this year, have done GS on Radiance & yes a nice CL thats for sure.

proof of RAT test 24 hrs before, take photo of negative test alongside phone with time & date.

mask wearing is strongly recommended in crowded areas, but not enforced.

we wore masks at shows if really busy.

Gday guys,

We are Diamond and the 4 daily vouchers p/p were enough for us on 9 out of 12 days on Ovation, all good.

In the suite lounge is it still unlimited for Suite guests, say 5pm-8pm?

Is it only suite guests in SL, or are Pinnicles also have access if not in a suite? 

14 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

welcome to the Diamond club.

Cheers Mic,

Diamond Club was great, nice location next to Royal Theatre which was handy.

Was packed on the first night, then no problems getting a seat after that.

Looks like the daily 4 drink vouchers for Diamond are working well.

Danilo the concierge was a great bloke.

With all of the above being said, really looking forward to the GS suite life on Brilliance in Dec this year

😁

18 hours ago, KylieHva said:

Do you know if you had the new menu in the main dining room?

Not sure what menu we had, we were traditional dining 8pm in The Grande.

food was great, had several lovely steaks, curries, etc, waiters were great too

There was always 3 or 4 different entree & mains each night plus the usual classics.

I'm pretty sure my wife has the shrimp cocktail every night, so our waiter gave her 2 shrimp cocktails on the last night.😁

Chefs table was an awesome night with superb food & a great bunch of guests.

Christmas night special in Chops, was basically an open bar + anything you want from the menu.

we both  had beautiful rib eye & half a maine lobster...delicious.

16 hours ago, M-H-B said:

How cold was it? I'm doing NZ but the South and am expecting to be pretty cold, just wondering how bad 🙂

Cold & wet is par for the bottom of the South Island, but was a balmy 24 degrees with blue skies.

We were very lucky with the weather, basically no swell & next to no wind for the first 10 days.

A nice 30 knot easterly pushing us all the way back to Sydney.

Gday Guys,

A few reflections of our 12 nights to NZ cruise, in a balcony, GS was too steep for us!

embarkation was a breeze 25 mins to be onboard. 👍

First cruise as Diamond, worked out the vouchers after I wasted one voucher on a barista coffee!

really enjoyed the Diamond Lounge.

Tradition dining was great in The Grande!

Shore excursions were hit & miss, 2 vineyard trips,

1st had beautiful cellar door & wines & a great lunch.

2nd had average wines and limited cheese and biscuits, not nearly enough for all the wine tasting.

Weather was just about perfect,

hardly any swell at all for the first 10 days, Sadly a nasty 3m easterly swell in Bay of Islands cancelled the shore trips, bummer!

Only issue was we had to go to guest services 3 times to confirm our CC details, as card used at checkin was not saved.

they kept trying to use the card that was used 18 months ago to pay the cruise deposit that had expired 6 months ago.

All in all a great cruise, really looking forward to the "Suite Life" on Brilliance in Dec 2023.

Cheers

Craig  

Yep - same for us on Dec 23 Ovation of the seas NZ cruise...

sucks!

20 hours ago, arxcards said:

Who are you cruising with?

Royal Caribbean..

So looks like NZEta not required for Australian passport, which is good.

might just d/l the NZetz app just in case..

Cheers

Gday Guys,

NZ cruise on 23 December

How do we show proof of negative RAT Test?

They also mention a NZ electronic Visa?

Pretty sure Aussies dont need a visa, ive been to NZ at least a dozen times..

Getting excited now!

Cheers

Craig

14 minutes ago, Chiliburn said:

You get full suite benefits but you won’t get the extra Crown & Anchor point  for the grand suite.

Ah OK i see, thanks

I am already getting double points for this cruise,

4 x points would be hello Diamond Plus WOW!!

18 hours ago, Hogbay said:

its pp and no added benefits as you are still considered to be sailing in your original cat

really?

Sailing on Ovation of the Seas

No suite lounge access, daily dining in Coastal Kitchen, priority tendering etc?

what is the point then,  bigger room?

Cheers

Gday Guys,

received the Royal UpGrade email this morning for Dec cruise

thinking of upgrading from large balcony to GS, not sure how much we will offer.

if your upgrade is successful to you have to Pay  right away?

Or can they charge the upgrade amount to your state room?

Cheers

hoping to retire at 60, in 8 years, or maybe Voluntary Redundancy at around 58 onwards if offered.

😉

1 cruise booked for Xmas, first cruise as Diamond on Ovation to NZ

just need  a bit more work(nag) to get a second cruise booked!

Just now, NumnuT_OZ said:

make sure you salary sacrifice AS MUCH as you can afford!

120% agree with this!!