cruise_critical

I'm (young family with 2 boys 13 ,16) a newbie with only 2 RCCL Ovation cruises thus far, with a Quantum cruise booked for next year, but I recently looked around and booked a Princess cruise for end of this year as well as it was just so cheap with the recent Kids Free Sale (which applies to 3rd and 4th adults also like with RCCL). Royal Princess cruise was only $4598 for 4 in a Balcony for 13 nights Fiji/Vanuatu in Dec. (only $353/night) In comparison, my previous Ovation (and upcoming Quantum) cruises (all booked during cheapest Kids Sail Free sale) was around $550/night for balcony. >50% more expensive! What I've also noticed is that the alcohol drink packages + WiFI (when bundled with Plus or Premier) on Princess is significantly cheaper (like nearly half price) than even the black friday sale prices on RCCL so that was a nice surprise as well. I'm definitely in the exploring various cruise lines stage atm. But I do want to become at least a Diamond on RCCL as it seems to have some really nice perks. (4 free drinks a day! lol) (just 3-4 more cruises then I'll be there)

Hmm. I have an old Galaxy S9 Plus (released 6 months before your Note 9) and just tested it out. While I had it connected to my home WIFI, I could create a hotspot, and was able to get my other phone to connect to it and work no issues. (I even turned off mobile data to make sure it was sharing its WIFI internet) It also did initially warn tha it was going to share my wifi connection by enabling the hotspot. So your Note 9 should work also unless it has some regional software feature locking or if the OS is not up to date. Can you go to Settings -> About Phone -> Software Information and see what version / patch level you are running? My S9 Plus has following for reference: (Australia stock) One UI version 2.5 Android Version 10 Kernel Version 4.9.118-23733710 Thu Jul 21 2022 Android security patch level 1 March 2022

Thank you. A consistent dinner experience is really important for my wife and I so it sounds like I have made the right choice! I got the Premier package as well, so now I need to worry about which night I will do the Crown Grill and Sabatini's. Don't want to miss out on a good MDR menu night. Does the MDR menu rotate every 5 or 7 days for a 13 night cruise?

Oh I see. Yeah, it would depend on what Note version you have, and if you have the latest OS update installed etc. But I would have assumed a Note (which is also top-tier of Galaxy series) woud be capable. Maybe they only released this feature on more recent phones / SW updates...

Yes it works. No idea on iphones or ipads. But it does at least work perfectly on most Samsung Galaxy phones. (at least on the S series phones such as S20, S21, S22 etc. that has dual band WIFI) My friends and I do it all the time and even did it recently in our Ovation cruise last month. Heck, we used our phones as a hotspot to get the Amazon Firestick that I hooked up to the TV to watch Netflix/Disney+ on the TV. Works very well. Basically, the phone will use different WIFI frequency for each WIFI connection. (e.g. 2.4ghz for internet, 5ghz for hotspot) So yeah, you connect to the cruise's WIFI, then you can enable hotspot on your phone and it will act as a WIFI hotspot to other devices sharing your device's cruise WIFI connection. Most Windows laptop (or a Windows tablet such as the Surface) can also do this btw, so you can use a laptop as a hotspot for the entire room to share the single WIFI connection to the ship's WIFI. (if your laptop only has 1 WIFI band, you will need to get a cheap USB WIFI dongle to allow for dual WIFI capability)

Just booked the Royal Princess cruise in Dec in a reserve collection mini suite. They mention that the reserved dining will have expanded menu options. Any idea what they are or how different it is compared to MDR?

I was hoping they would switch the ships between Brisbane and Sydney so that the Quantum comes to Sydney for once. Not to be. 😞

On my upcoming RC Ovation cruise, I was able to get the deluxe package for $96/person/day during black friday sale. Nowhere near as cheap as pre-covid strill, but it hasn't been any cheaper before nor since for my cruise at least. Would be 4 drinks per day to break even and I think wife & I should be able to do that pretty easily without even trying. We don't normally drink this much but hey, it's a cruise!

Not sure how it would be for you, but for me (under 50) this was really cheap and seemed to be enough for my needs. It's a CoverMore insurance, and looks to be equivalent to their International Comprehensive plan, but for cheaper. https://auspost.com.au/travel-essentials/cruise-travel-insurance

Citibank also required you to pay the full cost of the travel to qualify. I called them up recently as I paid a small portion of my cruise with another card, and Citibank told me then I will not be covered. (even though I paid over $8k of the cruise using their card!)

For a full suite, plain Grand Suite is best value in a Quantum class IMO. Owner and Sky Loft is just bigger rooms but with identical benefits. (though I did book Owners for my next cruise on Ovation just to splurge lol) Grand Loft and up are usually 2-3x the price of a Grand Suite for a bigger room + Star Class which seems a bit too much. Mind you, those who like to get everything VVVIP level, can't go wrong with Star Class. Being able to get every food from every restaurant (even specialty) delivered to your cabin or to wherever you want on the ship, zero queues or waiting time and with best seats/spot for whatever you want to do, deluxe drink package inclusion, personalised & stacked mini bar, free laundry etc. I might try to go for a Grand Loft with Royal Up for my upcoming cruise since the minimum bid isn't much different to my current Owners + deluxe drink package. Low chance but nothing to lose.

I got my Guest Ticket Booklet just yesterday for my Ovation cruise next month (5th to NZ) and it looks to have been updated with the new alcohol policy.

Travel Insurance is still mandatory for entry to New Caledonia. https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/pacific/new-caledonia

I'm pretty sure that the wellness check is your designated check in time slot and you do it as part of checking in on the day.

On my last cruise, I did the 3-night dining package on Ovation but I felt it wasn't worth it, so I am not doing it for my upcoming cruise. Mind you I was in a full suite and found that Coastal Kitchen alone was better than any specialty dining.

My friend got on the Ovation last Friday and was booked in for the wellness check at the 4:30-5:00 time slot but he went there around 3pm and was able to check in & board with no issue. He was in a Balcony room. I'm boarding the same ship next month in a full suite, but currently booked for the 2:30-3:00 slot. I really want to board sooner so am going to take my chances by arriving early also.

Junior suite, is pretty much a bigger balcony room and that's it really. I know that some junior suites on Ovation have 1.5 bathrooms (full bathroom + separate powder room), which is great for families or a couple who prefer to have their own toilets. Btw, in my previous Ovation cruise, Coastal Kitchen makes it difficult for Junior Suite guests to dine in. My friends who stayed in JS weren't even allowed to make dinner bookings at CK. I guess they only will let you in once they know there will be tables available. But as I was in a grand suite, I could make advanced bookings for myself and for them to have dinner with us every night. So yeah, if you have a full suite friend, use them.