woodscruise

Sydney ports is updated today.

Additional bookings for Ovation of the Seas as follows:

28th Jan, 9th Feb, 17th Feb and 20 Feb.

Royal Caribbean also confirms mega-ship will return to Australia in 2017/18.

Royal Caribbean International has just announced that its Ovation of the Seas will extend her maiden season down under, with four additional departures during the upcoming 2016/17 season.

Ovation is "Australia's very first new-build cruise ship" and RCI also confirmed that she will return for a second season in summer 2017/18 "due to the extraordinary demand for the ship from Australians".

RCI said final deployment details for both new programs will be released in the coming weeks, with guests encouraged to register their interest online at http://www.ovationoftheseas.com.au/newsletter.

"The level of interest for Ovation of the Seas has exceeded all of our expectations; we're currently over 90 per cent sold for next summer's sailings," said newly appointed Royal Caribbean Australasia managing director, Adam Armstrong.

"She is a true game-changer and such was the high demand for the ship that we've been able to secure four extra cruises from Sydney which will extend the season into late February 2017," he said.

Guests who are currently booked on the 23 January 2017 repositioning cruise from Sydney to Singapore will be contacted and offered first choice of sailings to rebook, including the revised repositioning itinerary now scheduled for four weeks later.

 

Source Cruise Weekly breaking news

In Thailand I would go for the Baht, especially if buying things from the local stores. If they do take USD, then expect the change in Baht.

I am unsure when you are looking at this trip, however later this year American Airlines will commence flying from Auckland to US. What may be an idea is to fly from Fl to Sydney on QF/AA and then the cruise to NZ and fly direct back to US from AKL. Also recently I read where UA will also commence service again to AKL.

Just a question, who are the senior staff onboard. Are they from P&O, Princess or HAL? Are the crew (stewards etc) transferred from HAL? And how many times a day do they service the stateroom. On my last Pacific Jewel cruise it was only once a day.

Carnival Australia has just announced changes to its Australia-based year-round fleet, which will see Princess Cruises offload its Dawn Princess vessel to P&O Cruises, with the move effective from May 2017.

The 2000-passenger Dawn Princess will become the sixth and largest vessel in the P&O Cruises Australian fleet. The news comes just over a month out from P&O taking delivery of its fourth and fifth ships Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden.

P&O Cruises senior vice president Sture Myrmell said Dawn Princess would be reflagged and renovated to take on the P&O product prior to its transfer to the fleet.

"This ship is a great addition to P&O Cruises’ fleet, with her larger size opening up opportunities for new onboard product and experiences," he added.

The gap created in the Princess inventory will be filled by Golden Princess, which will now remain in Australian waters throughout 2017. To make its debut in Australia this summer peak season, based in Melbourne and initially as a seasonal visitor, Golden Princess will join Sea Princess and Sun Princess in the line's locally based fleet on a year-round basis from May 2017.

"One of Golden Princess’ key sailings for the year will be a 75-night Circle Pacific itinerary taking holidaymakers on a roundtrip cruise from Australia to Asia, Alaska and America," Princess Cruises senior vice president Australa and New Zealand Stuart Allison said.

Carnival Australia has just announced changes to its Australia-based year-round fleet, which will see Princess Cruises offload its Dawn Princess vessel to P&O Cruises, with the move effective from May 2017.

The 2000-passenger Dawn Princess will become the sixth and largest vessel in the P&O Cruises Australian fleet. The news comes just over a month out from P&O taking delivery of its fourth and fifth ships Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden.

P&O Cruises senior vice president Sture Myrmell said Dawn Princess would be reflagged and renovated to take on the P&O product prior to its transfer to the fleet.

"This ship is a great addition to P&O Cruises’ fleet, with her larger size opening up opportunities for new onboard product and experiences," he added.

The gap created in the Princess inventory will be filled by Golden Princess, which will now remain in Australian waters throughout 2017. To make its debut in Australia this summer peak season, based in Melbourne and initially as a seasonal visitor, Golden Princess will join Sea Princess and Sun Princess in the line's locally based fleet on a year-round basis from May 2017.

"One of Golden Princess’ key sailings for the year will be a 75-night Circle Pacific itinerary taking holidaymakers on a roundtrip cruise from Australia to Asia, Alaska and America," Princess Cruises senior vice president Australa and New Zealand Stuart Allison said.

 

Source Cruise Weekly

Royal Caribbean cruises into Port Kembla Harbour

 

Wollongong’s Port Kembla Harbour will welcome its first cruise ship in 2016 when Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas ties up dockside.

 

The 293m long megaliner will bring more than 2400 people to the Illawarra in October 2016 as part of a seven night East Coast and Tasmania cruise.

 

The ship will spend a day in port, allowing tourists from Australia and around the world to explore the Illawarra’s beaches, city, towns and attractions through day trips, courtesy buses and planned activity options.

 

Royal Caribbean Cruises Regional Vice President Gavin Smith says the visit is the first step in investigating an ongoing relationship between the cruise line and the Illawarra.

 

“I’m thrilled to announce we will be bringing one of the largest and most feature-packed megaliners in Australian waters to the South Coast of NSW, when Port Kembla becomes the newest destination for Radiance of the Seas,” he said.

 

“With capacity for more than 2400 guests, in a single day she’ll deliver an economic injection of more than $890,000 to local operators in the region.

 

“As the appetite for cruising continues to grow, expanding our offering for our many international and domestic guests is the key to our continued success.

 

“Including Port Kembla on our itineraries will provide our guests the opportunity to sample all that Wollongong and the South Coast has to offer. At the same time, it will give us the chance to investigate Port Kembla as an alternative home port, as an overflow to congestion in Sydney Harbour.”

 

Destination Wollongong board member Cr Leigh Colacino revealed the venture has been more than two years in the making.

 

“I am excited to announce that Royal Caribbean ships will soon become a regular sight at Port Kembla and I will be standing dockside to welcome the Radiance of the Seas when she makes her first visit to Wollongong,” he said.

 

“This is a wonderful outcome for the Illawarra and regional tourism, but also makes business sense for Royal Caribbean to make use of one of the most capable ports on the east coast of Australia.

 

“This commitment from Royal Caribbean is also a wonderful endorsement of the new operators of Port Kembla and their commitment to the economy of the Illawarra.

 

“Royal Caribbean understands the value of Port Kembla and Wollongong for tourism with its proximity to the Sydney CBD and airport, and the varied attractions of the region whether they are the vibrant nightlife, shopping and dining precincts, the beaches, adventure activities, the wineries of the South Coast and Southern Highlands or simply the outstanding natural attraction of the Illawarra escarpment.

 

“It has been rewarding to work with Gavin Smith, Regional Vice President of Royal Caribbean, over the past two and a half years in making what seemed to many as nothing more than a dream, a reality to our region.”

 

Destination Wollongong General Manager Mark Sleigh says the agreement with Royal Caribbean is an amazing opportunity for the Illawarra which will have immediate economic benefits and ongoing tourism advantages.

 

“It is terrific that one of the world’s leading tourism operators has seen the potential of Wollongong as a genuine, world-class tourist destination,” he said.

 

“Cruising is a booming tourism industry in Australia and the visit by the Radiance of the Seas will bring an influx of visitors to our shores and allow us to show off Wollongong and the South Coast to a whole new audience across the world.”

 

While the inaugural visit by the Radiance of the Seas is a momentous occasion for the region, the sight of cruise ships off the coast could become more common in the future.

 

Source = Royal Caribbean

 

 

Read more at http://www.etbtravelnews.com

Royal Caribbean cruises into Port Kembla Harbour

 

Wollongong’s Port Kembla Harbour will welcome its first cruise ship in 2016 when Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas ties up dockside.

 

The 293m long megaliner will bring more than 2400 people to the Illawarra in October 2016 as part of a seven night East Coast and Tasmania cruise.

 

The ship will spend a day in port, allowing tourists from Australia and around the world to explore the Illawarra’s beaches, city, towns and attractions through day trips, courtesy buses and planned activity options.

 

Royal Caribbean Cruises Regional Vice President Gavin Smith says the visit is the first step in investigating an ongoing relationship between the cruise line and the Illawarra.

 

“I’m thrilled to announce we will be bringing one of the largest and most feature-packed megaliners in Australian waters to the South Coast of NSW, when Port Kembla becomes the newest destination for Radiance of the Seas,” he said.

 

“With capacity for more than 2400 guests, in a single day she’ll deliver an economic injection of more than $890,000 to local operators in the region.

 

“As the appetite for cruising continues to grow, expanding our offering for our many international and domestic guests is the key to our continued success.

 

“Including Port Kembla on our itineraries will provide our guests the opportunity to sample all that Wollongong and the South Coast has to offer. At the same time, it will give us the chance to investigate Port Kembla as an alternative home port, as an overflow to congestion in Sydney Harbour.”

 

Destination Wollongong board member Cr Leigh Colacino revealed the venture has been more than two years in the making.

 

“I am excited to announce that Royal Caribbean ships will soon become a regular sight at Port Kembla and I will be standing dockside to welcome the Radiance of the Seas when she makes her first visit to Wollongong,” he said.

 

“This is a wonderful outcome for the Illawarra and regional tourism, but also makes business sense for Royal Caribbean to make use of one of the most capable ports on the east coast of Australia.

 

“This commitment from Royal Caribbean is also a wonderful endorsement of the new operators of Port Kembla and their commitment to the economy of the Illawarra.

 

“Royal Caribbean understands the value of Port Kembla and Wollongong for tourism with its proximity to the Sydney CBD and airport, and the varied attractions of the region whether they are the vibrant nightlife, shopping and dining precincts, the beaches, adventure activities, the wineries of the South Coast and Southern Highlands or simply the outstanding natural attraction of the Illawarra escarpment.

 

“It has been rewarding to work with Gavin Smith, Regional Vice President of Royal Caribbean, over the past two and a half years in making what seemed to many as nothing more than a dream, a reality to our region.”

 

Destination Wollongong General Manager Mark Sleigh says the agreement with Royal Caribbean is an amazing opportunity for the Illawarra which will have immediate economic benefits and ongoing tourism advantages.

 

“It is terrific that one of the world’s leading tourism operators has seen the potential of Wollongong as a genuine, world-class tourist destination,” he said.

 

“Cruising is a booming tourism industry in Australia and the visit by the Radiance of the Seas will bring an influx of visitors to our shores and allow us to show off Wollongong and the South Coast to a whole new audience across the world.”

 

While the inaugural visit by the Radiance of the Seas is a momentous occasion for the region, the sight of cruise ships off the coast could become more common in the future.

 

Source = Royal Caribbean

 

 

Read more at http://www.etbtravelnews.com

Captain Roger Bilton is currently on Pacific Jewel. His name was mentioned in yesterday cruise weekly in Australia. It does seem that quite often the captains from the Princess Fleet command the P&O Australia Fleet.

What is Princess in Australia doing. Putting New Zealand ice cream onboard and then charging for it. I would have thought that they would try and maintain a constant product throughout the entire Princess fleet. Who knows whats next that they would charge for. Is their intention to slowly change these ships to P&O Australia?

Does anyone have any idea when the Australian deployment will be released?

I thought it was for this week, with additional sailings later in May.

Does anyone know if Ovation of the Seas has tenders?

Melbourne Ports is showing Ovation of the Seas in port on the following dates:

13th, 18th December 2016 and 11th January 2017

Sydney ports has been updated today and is now listing Ovation of the Seas as follows:

15th December arrival 10:00 depart 16th December 6:30pm

then 30th December, 9th January, and finally 23rd January.

Sydney ports is listing Ovation of the Seas as follows:

15th December arrival 10:00 depart 16th December 6:30pm

then 30th December, 9th January, and finally 23rd January.

Geoff,

I will post the article tomorrow when I am at work. Yes you are correct with the agent chartering the ship

Todays Travel daily had her here for 5 cruises only due to Sydney Ports bookings. It was also mentioned that it will be coming from Singapore and that a cruise company will have it as a charter. Gavin Smith also advised that fares will be from 199.00 per day and that this class of ship will be featured in Australia for many summer seasons.

Todays Travel daily had her here for 5 cruises only due to Sydney Ports bookings. It was also mentioned that it will be coming from Singapore and that a cruise company will have it as a charter. Gavin Smith also advised that fares will be from 199.00 per day and that this class of ship will be featured in Australia for many summer seasons.

RCCL and Celebrity do offer the drink packages on Australian cruises. I think it might be just a Carnival Australia having this rule. Does anyone know if Princess has drink packages on the Diamond Princess this year?

Springaussie / Geoff,

 

just a thought for the mystery entry on Sydney ports on 17 / 18 March.

If Ovation of the Seas is scheduled for delivery in Spring of 2016, is it possible for it to be launched early spring and call at Sydney on these days on it position voyage to Alaska. I know it is a early trans pacific but I am sure RCCL will love to show the ship off and even have some west coast sailings prior to the Alaska season. Thoughts?

Springaussie, are you talking about the on board account been charged in AUD?

Do you know what currency they use on board in Asia? Is it local or USD

Cruise weekly today published the following article:

 

Voyager for Vanuatu

Funding for the construction of a new gate and four pollards at Port Vila will be provided by Royal Caribbean Int’l to allow it to berth Voyager of the Seas in Vanuatu.

 

Work will be carried out on the Main Wharf, allowing the 3,138-passenger vessel to enter the compact harbour. The building project has been confirmed by Vanuatu Dept of Tourism director George Borugu.

 

Currently, Royal Caribbean operates its smaller Radiance of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas on South Pacific sailings, while Voyager tours New Zealand.

Geoff, I once read a while ago, that when shipping companies reserve a berth they are required to pay a non refundable deposit. Do you know if this is true with Sydney. If so, then one can assume additional deployments down here.

Geoff and Springaussie,

I noticed that the Sydney ports was updated 25 February and it is still showing the Celebrity Solstice being in Sydney when according to Celebrity website she is in Singapore drydock. I know I have mentioned this before, but am now wondering if this could be a placement for another RCCL ship, as the Celebrity has released there schedules. Also Springaussie, the March entry with Explorer and Azamara Quest still showing.