Matkai

Hi Everyone, What do people take as a power adaptor, just a single travel power point? or is there a small board with multiple outlets that we can buy? Thank You

Hi Everyone, We booked our deluxe drink package and internet package a week ago and they have already been reduced further, how do I go about cancelling and rebooking with the cheaper rate? How long does it take for Royal Caribbean to refund to credit card? Thank You

Hi, Looking at booking Spectrum of the seas for 2023 and wondering if there is any deck / cabin etc.. we should be looking at? As first time cruisers we know to go for a room that has rooms under, above and in front and to choose midship (in case we get sea sick 😞 ) however, that is all we know, any other advice or tips we should be aware of before we book? Thank You

As a West Aussie, I would not put anything past our Emperor McGowan, he does not seem to care what impact his rash decisions have on people, and definitely not surprised he has a completely different set of rules compared to the rest of the country. Fortunately there are no state or federal elections next year so you should be okay 😉

It must be a different charge depending on the cruise, for our 9 day cruise the drinks package for me and my husband cost a whopping $2,226.42 and that is with a 20% discount (2023 cruise).

Are you charged 18% on top of the cost of drinks / food when they charge it to your credit card... Was thinking Royal Caribbean was good value, but now may rethink which ship we go on.. are there any that charge in AUD?

Hi, Looking at booking a 9 night cruise on Ovation of the Seas for 2023 - trying to budget and finding everything so confusing as we have never cruised before... From what I am hearing from other people who are also cruising on Royal Caribbean in 2023 from Australia the DDP is around $143 AUD per person per day - which is more than the cost of the cruise itself! So would like to find out how much a basic cocktail, drink is on the ship? Have heard that all the prices they show on menus are in USD, even if sailing within Australia? So based on current exchange rate if a drink is priced at $14, it will be approx $21 AUD do they then add gratuities onto this as well? Also, how does the currency exchange rate work, do you get charged the rate at the time or at the end of the cruise? I am assuming Aussie Cruisers would get a mighty shock at the end of the cruise if everything is in USD? I hope my question makes sense 🙂

Just about to book our very first cruise for March 2023, want the book Deluxe drink Package but notice the prices state for 2021-2022 sailings only? If we book today, will we be able to book at today's prices? (Booking in Australia)

Hi Everyone, Ready to hit the 'book' button on our very first cruise. We are hoping to cruise on Ovation of the Seas in March 23 for their '9 Night South Pacific Cruise' - we want a ocean view balcony room in mid ship... at this stage the decks to chose from are Deck's 13, 12, 11, 9, 8 & 6 Is it worth paying extra for the Ocean View with Large Balcony? if so available Decks are 13, 11, 10, 8 & 7 - are these mid ship or more towards the ends of mid ship (if that makes sense)? Finally, if I book a Ocean View Balcony (and not obstructed or connected balcony room) should I get a clear balcony view - will be opting for choose my room? Any advice on the best deck to choose, what to look out for, places to avoid would be greatly appreciated. Any help would be appreciated... Thank You 🙂

Hi Everyone, Currently pricing up cruises and noticed that cruising from Australian Ports (Fremantle in particular) e.g. 13 Night of Magestic Princess from Fremantle to Sydney for 2 people in standard balcony room (no upgrade or perks) almost $8,000 and then you would have to factor in cost for flights back from Sydney to Perth on top of this price? Am I just looking at the wrong fares or is it normal to pay more from Australia than overseas?

Has anyone who here actually been on a cruise and been forced to wear face masks for a majority of the time? I notice all comments are from people who say that are going on a cruise with mandatory face masks, or say that they would only go on a cruise with face masks, but no-one is actually commenting from their actual first hand experience. We can all speculate or guess what we think it would be like, but have no real idea until you we have actually experienced it - I have read many posts on other forums from people who have and I am yet to find a positive comment, many complaining of headaches, being constantly uncomfortable, feelin unsocial / isolated, skin behind ears being rubbed raw, and overall lack of enjoyment the entire time- with many saying they would not cruise again until the mask mandates are lifted.

So disappointed that Australia is so slow in dropping all of the autocratic COVID rules, so we have decided to delay booking our cruise until the requirement for mask wearing is dropped or fly to the US and cruise from there. What is the point of us all being vaccinated just to board the ship, only to be forced to wear masks... that is not what I call a relaxing holiday!

Have noticed that cruise ships in USA have relaxed protocols and do not require Face Masks on board, is this the case for ships departing Australia, as I just read on P&O Cruises they require facemask indoor onboard? Not sure if this is old or has been updated?

Looking at booking our very first cruise, was wondering if it is better / safer to book direct or through travel agent... Have heard that booking through a travel agent can be cheaper and you may get more perks, however, I just did a comparison with Flight Centre and a Royal Caribbean cruise and found Flight Centre to be actually more expensive than booking direct? (I am located in Perth, any recommendations on a brick and mortar cruise dedicated travel agent?) I am also wondering which would be easier to deal with in the event of another pandemic or outbreak, to get your refund / money back - cruise line or travel agent? Do Australian travel agents monitor your fare for price reductions? Do they charge you each time (as this could counter any price reduction I would think?) Any advice would be appreciated, thank you 🙂

Hi Everyone, my husband and I are both in our mid 50's and hoping to book our very first cruise for 2023/2024 (pandemics permitting). We are normally use to planning road trips around the USA or Australia, so cruising is both new and confusing to us, and would appreciate any advice we can get - so our introduction to cruising is a positive one. We live in Western Australia, the last state in the country that is opening up to Cruise Ships in October this year, however from what I have been able to find out (please correct me if I am wrong) cruises which depart from Fremantle are very limited, both in the ships and itineraries, so we are more than happy to fly to another destination to join a better cruise ship / itinerary if necessary. We are looking for something that is around 10/12 days, hopefully that is going to places such as Noumea or Fiji or New Zealand - not interested in only Australian Ports. Would appreciate any recommendations on the best cruise ships to use / good itineraries and even what ships to avoid (have been reading some really bad reviews on Coral Princess, so will be avoiding that one at least). With all that being said, is it worth even flying internationally to the US / UK or even Europe, would we get a more interesting itinerary and better experience, seeing as these have a much longer history and more experience with the cruising industry compared to Australia? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.