Andyinmacksville

I hate hate hate the windjammer announcements asking you to leave if you are done eating. Rude rude rude. And it is constant.

Well if inconsiderate people didn’t sit around taking up space when they have finished eating they wouldn’t have to make those announcements...

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Don’t know about maths but I believe they expect you can read.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

So does this mean that American products are 20% cheaper than Oz ?

Elsewhere you pay the price plus 18%. Here the 18% is incorporated into the price due to Australian consumer laws. Regardless the price works out the same.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

This was Pacific Jewel and they were first time cruisers so not the cruise you were on?

Nope just an example and why I don’t put much if any weight in reviews.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Yep many times.

 

 

 

Was that my cruise?

Was a Voyager of the Seas cruise a couple of years ago.

While I was sitting with them the ordered drinks from one of the table waiters that I had got to know over the past few days, they spoke to him like he was beneath them. When he walked away they commented that he probably wouldn’t make it right...

I hadn’t asked for another drink so when he return with their drinks and 1 for me and said Andrew I noticed yours was nearly empty, the look of disbelief from the couple was quite amusing. When the waiter left they asked why I got such good service. I said I’m nice to them and got up and left.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I’ve read reviews of cruises I’ve been on and you’d swear they were on another ship. I found it hard to fathom how someone could have such a poor experience when I couldn’t fault a thing.

Reading the review I actually worked out it was a passenger I came across whilst onboard. In the 15 minutes I had the displeasure of their company all they did was whine about the most petty things. There are just some people out there that live to find fault in everything no matter how petty or small.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Sorry, the reference to the next couple of weeks relates to the Ovation itineraries for 19-20 as I believe this will show once and for all if RCCL are removing ports in favour of sea days in the region. It seems that the lines as well as the cruising public dislike tender ports!

Having tendered several ports on Voyager and the nightmare that can be, I can see why they would be hesitant with an extra 1500 people in the queue.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

But is that what the punters really want? I've noticed already with quantum class itineraries there seems to be less ports and more sea days even on the Ovation TP in April 2019. Whether this is true or not should become obvious when the 2019-20 deployment is release in the next week or so!

Less ports is only due the lack of dock facilities for the larger ships. Given the major lines are moving to larger ships the ports will have to be upgraded otherwise they’ll lose the substantial economic benefit of cruise ship passengers.

I wouldn’t hold your breath for any information in the next couple of weeks as if this was going to happen it would be arriving for the 20/21 season.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

While it would be nice....I just can't really see where it would sail to from Sydney....NZ ports would struggle to cope, of which I think it could only fit into a couple and certainly can't see too many in the South Pacific that could accommodate that many people or the ship. And not sure we have the market for what would be a repetitive cruise, ie the same ports every cruise. It works in Florida because of the population of America, but we would very quickly get bored with the same cruise each time. Maybe a one season wonder before moving to Asia where I know a lot of ports have recently built facilities to accommodate an Oasis Class.

Pretty much all cruises out of Sydney/Australia are repetitive due to the small number of available ports.

That said the nature of cruising is rapidly changing from one where the ship was a means of transport to a destination to one where the ship is the destination.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

There is no doubt the design of the Oasis class suit our cruising market. If it’s to come about I’d expect to see some serious port upgrades happening over the next 12 months.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Not a great deal of information yet, now that Symphony has launch I’d expect we will be hearing more about in the coming months.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

The official policy is no, however they don’t seem to enforce it as I have slabs of water and soft drink with baggage tags attached being accepted.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Actual it gets reconfigured slightly whilst sailing in Asia.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Was on the same sailing last year, I stayed onboard but my friends spent 3 hours stuck in traffic due to an accident in Cairns.

Not saying that’s likely to happen again but the problem with cutting it close is you leave yourself no margin should something happen outside your control.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

It seems somewhat strange that you would expect a cruise based in an eastern market would be designed around western tastes.

As for the reviews, the majority are not worth the time it takes to read them.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Would that be Speculation of the Seas? :D

 

 

Cheers [emoji482]

Mick

Considering RCI only sail the pacific from one home port it’s a bet I would take.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

At the moment we can only see 2 RCCL ships in Australia in 2019 as it seems Ovation and Radiance are doing the Downunder / Alaska dance. Dare we safely assume that another ship will do the Asian / Australasian sector.

 

If not there is a significant downsizing of RCCL Australuan operations.

 

All speculation until our 19-20 itineraries are anounced 2nd week in April.

Given they have been advertising Spectrum as being designed for Asia/Pacific I would be fairly confident we will be seeing it for summer 19/20.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thanks for your reply. However, I would think a minimum cabin category guarantee would also mean you are guaranteed a cabin?

And to assume those that book a guarantee are paying the least isn’t entirely accurate. I can assure you I didn’t pay the least. :) It’s was the only option available, due to it being a last minute booking of Spring Break.

Sounds like I should be good and they will assign at the last minute.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I’ll qualify the pay the least bit, the guarantee cabins are offered at a lower rate than those where you choose your cabin. As a business decision you would bump the lower paying customer who doesn’t have a cabin assigned should the situation arise.

As I said it seems quite rare for it to happen with cruise lines, so you should be fine.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I sure hope that is not true. I’ve never heard of anyone reporting not getting a cabin at all. Have you?

I’ve seen posts about it a couple of times, I imagine it’s something they would hope to avoid at all cost but as I said you would expect if it did happen those that pay the least would be the ones getting bumped

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I think you are misunderstanding context in which the word guarantee is being used, the guarantee relates to the minimum cabin category you can be assigned. It is not a guarantee you’ll definitely get a cabin.

While it doesn’t seem to happen often let’s face it those that pay the least for a cabin category would be first on the chopping block.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I have a feeling we will never really know what happened on that ship:confused:. There are so many conflicting stories:rolleyes: Knowing their names though it seems they called the police on themselves:'). Wasn't it a Dave or David Barkho who called the police during the fighting?

That’s what grubs like these guys do, start the fight and when it turns against them they call the police crying victim.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

The cruise lines in light of the recent events need to set up a register much like licensed premises in New South Wales have in their liquor accords. Barred from one barred from all.

While the grubs will no doubt be barred from all carnival/P&O/princess ships, there is nothing stopping them from booking on non affiliated lines.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Hello,

 

We are sailing on RCL in April, and I am keeping an eye on the drinks packages, but right now our sailing is nearly $80AU - a down side to our strengthening dollar, I guess. Even at this price, it will probably work cheaper than waiting until on board to purchase them, so I am think of buying in now.

Can anyone tell me if the price goes down after I purchase, can I cancel the packages and rebook at the lower price?

Actually if our dollar strengthens against the US dollar the price would get lower not higher.

On board I believe the current price is US$71 which once converted is significantly dearer than AUD$80.

Yes you can cancel and rebook at a cheaper price, keep in mind it normally takes about 5 days for the refund to hit the card you paid with.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

23 off loaded, including 4 arrested.

 

 

 

As to the video I watched, apparent kicking of people was done by crew in white uniforms as well as at least 1 with a security tee shirt.

As I said in regard to the kicking, survival instinct/red mist would come into play.

Even with training unless you are dealing with situations like that all the time the training is probably going to go out the window. Plus the moderate resistance involved in training is completely different to a group of imbeciles hell bent on causing havoc, punching, kicking, biting and grabbing you in places you don’t want to be grabbed.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

After watching the video, I am shocked by the behavior, not only of some passengers but the repeated kicking of the two men on the floor and threatening to punch a women by the security staff.

That’s the problem with the media, you watched a 30 second clip of a much larger incident.

I recall an incident awhile back a video of a woman being dealt with quite firmly by police which was selectively edited which resulted in quite a bit of sympathy for the woman, at least until another clip surface showing the whole story.

I’m also perplex as to why you make special mention of the woman, a violent woman is just as capable of causing significant injury as a man, ultimately whether security or police the goal is to protect other people and in doing that you may have to use a necessary level of force. While it might not look good on video it’s far better than letting these grubs rampage through the ship assaulting and scaring people.

Looking at the crew member kicking, he doesn’t look to be security, as such he wouldn’t have training and when survival mode hits you do what ever it takes.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums