cassamanda

It might be different each cruise.

We got off Voyager on Monday & Bingo was packed every day it was on, (sea days). The games were a minimum of $32USD & each game's winnings was between $300-$500. There was a jackpot, which went off on the last day, (over $5,000 USD), but I couldn't stand the Bingo caller, Casey. She was trying to be funny, but she was terrible- as too was her helper, Grace!

January just gone, we did Bingo on Legend & it was the BEST Bingo I've witnessed at sea. SO much fun & the caller got people to join in with everything. People won IPads, room upgrades & lots of free drinks!!! (There was no jackpot, so most people pocketed over $500 per game!)

Did Voyager have the new pricing structure plus electronc readers? Legend only had paper type and low prices in September. Had upgrades and ipads then too. Fun caller... Shake shake shake....

All those dates were all originally for the Radiance and she has disappeared from the Sydney Ports schedule until the 14th March Wonder if they will just swap ships but then what happens to the Radiance????? Maybe some cruises from other ports?

No. Radiance itineraries are 28 Jan 12 nt NZ, and 9 Feb 16nt top end out of Sydney, returning 25 Feb.

Just off Radiance. She will dry dock at Portland after her repo from Sydney to Vancouver. Standard 5 year maintenance checks plus renewing carpets, furniture, pool clean etc. no mention of upgrades, not to say they wont.

Would be good if shower doors were fitted. No probs with JS as shower is over bath.

Next cruise sales office has already been moved from deck 12 to deck 5 next to Cafe Lattitudes. Nice and bright but takes up some seating space and very noisy being close to Centrum activities.

Regarding Melbourne, the depth at the heads (the entrance to Port Phillip Bay) is listed as allowing ships with a draft of up to 12.1m. Ovation is showing that her draft will only be 8.5m. Whilst 3.6m might seem plenty to work with, it is a very dangerous and unpredictable narrow stretch of water (not called the rip for no reason). Even with an experienced pilot on board, perhaps they are simply erring on the side of caution.

 

This rather narrow entrance to Port Phillip Bay/Melbourne has stopped other large draft vessels over the years and is the reason why when US aircraft carriers have visited Australia's east coast they haven't called at Melbourne but rather docked at Sydney and Hobart.

 

Whilst a cruise on Ovation is a possibility for us in 2017/18, it would be even more likely for us and our travelling companions if the cruise began or finished (or both) in Melbourne.

All your statements are absolutely correct. I have sailed Port Phillip many times and done a few Melbourne/Hobarts. The only safe time to navigate the rip is at slack water. The entrance is like a bath tub. Shallow, deep, shallow and creates a whirlpool effect. I have seen small yachts spinning like a top:eek:

When we entered last week at 5am, we got a strong wind gust on the beam and the Captain decided not to use slack water as the seas were calm. The ship listed 2deg twice and you could hear all the open balcony doors slamming shut. He apologized at Captains Corner. A few old salts gave him what fir at drinks later.;)

If the ship misses the right turn it will get stuck on mud island or may have to sail on into Geelong.

BTW, reports from Germany say they are not happy with the new Azipods and are fitting the same ones as Quantum.

Dates still April 15 but suspect that will slip because of the additional Ovation itineraries in February. Also suspect that new deployment cannot be finalized due to the return of Ovation in 2017/18.

Would love a QLD cruise like Rhapsody used to do - Newcastle, Airlie Beach, Cairns, Willis Is, Brisbane - but assume Newcastle and Brisbane are the only ports that could take Ovation.

 

Probably only a capital city tour is possible. Sydney, Brisbane, down to Melbourne, Hobart - maybe Adelaide back to Sydney.

From a Captains corner session last week on Radiance, my understanding is that Ovation cannot dock at Melbourne and also would have trouble entering Port Phillip.

Chefs table is a unique dining experience. Each course is especially prepared just fir your table and each course is paired with a different wine.

The head chef explains how each course is made and the Sommelier explains each wine.

You start with Champagne and you should allow 2 hours for tne meal.

Great way to meet people as well. From memory there are only 16 guests max.

The menu is set, not al la cart.

The Captain also asked if we would like to see another Radiance class ship here. Nearly brought the roof down:D

However, the trend is to build bigger ships to satisfy the rapidly escalating cruise market.

He also mentioned that we were getting the latest and greatest in Ovation but it is limited to only a few Ports. Eg she cannot get into Port Philip Bay.

Thanks for sharing that information.

 

How was the Radiance of the Seas?

Fantastic.

Going into dry dock for for 2 weeks for her 5 year inspection plus normal maintenance, new carpets, bedding, paint job, pool clean etc. No upgrades planned.

Left Monday for Vancouver via Hawaii. Goes into dry dock next day at Portland. That is why she left a little earlier this year.

Just didnt like the relocation of Next Cruise lounge from deck 12 to deck 5 next to the coffee shop. But it does look clean and fresh.

The outside areas around some of the water chanels need rust treatment.

She still sails fully booked every cruise.

They're not new - Rhapsody had them here about 5 years ago.

So why were they discontinued? They were not on any of the ships in the last 4 years at least.

I know they are on the ships sailing out of the USA and are being reintroduced fleet wide as the ships leave there for Australian cruises.

I

BINGO is a big disappointment these days. Just do the Math to work out how much money they make and how much they share with you . Back from a Voyager cruise in March and there were at least 200 people playing at minimum $32= $6400 prize pool . They had 3 quick line games with prizes averaging $300 to $400 and the last and only full house gave prizes from $800 to $1200. RCI did not play a snowball jackpot So they gave out a maximum about $2500. NOT GOOD ODDS people . I have noticed there are less and less people playing BINGO these days. They didn't even hold it in the main lounge - didn't need all that room . We and many players "booed" Carnival a few years ago because of the prize pool they offered. We are off on Explorer soon so I will do a head count and prize count and report back

And now the price is almost double. Need to get the $49 option to be at least in the running. The payouts are still on $200 per game and no snowball jackpot on 45 numbers anymore.:mad:

Hi all,

 

Thank you for all the replies and the warm welcome! I have booked the trip online myself instead of the cruise organised one as it does seem more logical.

 

Very much looking forward to it... Even if the 10-day forecast says rain haha.

 

Thanks!

Dont worry if it rains. All the more spectacular with waterfalls.

The Loyalty Lounge and Next Cruise sales area has been moved on Radiance from Deck 12. The Loyalty Ambassador is now on Deck 8 and the sales area has been moved to deck 5.

The area was previously used as a seating area for Cafe Lattitudes.

I can understand the move from a marketing perspective but the noise is overpowering from the Centrum,where much of the activities are conducted, to the point that the reps are almost impossible to both hear and understand.

Not a good move in my opinion.

The readers are fully automatic and are electronically linked to the callers device. You just sit there and wait for it to say Bingo. It even telks you when you have 1 number to go.

Oh well, guess you can concentrate on drinking that cocktail:rolleyes:

Just off Radiance and noticed a major change to prices and the introduction of electronic (readers) to Radiance of the Seas. Apparently happened at the start of the season. Not sure if Voyager or Explorer has these as well.

I used to enjoy the Bingo but RCI has now lost a player. To have any chance of winning a prize (several hundred dollars per game) you now have to spend almost twice the money, and even the basic game price has also increased.

The machines give you the best chance of winning and although 95% of the players still used the paper cards, 50% of the winners came from those using the machines. An unfair advantage in my opinion.

Just off Radiance of the Seas. The question was asked at Captains Corner whether there were any plans to base a ship in Australua on a permanent basis and the straight forward answer was "No".

Ways to Avoid a Huge Drinks Bill?

 

Here is a novel one for you if you intend to cruise fairly often.

 

Join the loyalty program & stick with the same cruise line until you get to a level like Diamond & above on Royal that gives you free drinks.

 

In the Diamond Lounge from about 5-8.30pm each evening you can drink as much as you want of beer, wine, spirits & simple cocktails from a set list, even if you are not big drinkers it can save you a lot.

 

You get the option to have 3 drinks at other bars around the ship in the same time each day, so even if you don't want to attend the Diamond Lounge it's still good value.

 

A couple drinking 4 drinks each with an average value of say $8 will save over $750 dollars on a 12 night cruise! :)

 

They also give you a few other discounts related to drinks like buy one get one free, 20% discount etc that are not time restricted.

 

With Royals program you also get reciprocal rewards on Celebrity - so an added bonus.

Too true. All the above. Cant understand why you would want a drink package once you reach Diamond or above. We average 3 to 4 spirits each evening in the lounge. Thats worth about $50 per day or at least $300 US per week. Add to that 2 glasses of wine for the dinner table (from the bar off the card:)). Current price (today) for standard spirit mixers on Radiance is $7US and cocktails are $10 with beer at $5.50 to $6.

I certainly dont mind buying any extra drinks as we go. BTW have not been charged for premium coffee at the coffee shop.

Just to enter the debate. Uncle Sam tips the barman on USA of The Seas very well. The barman in return free pours so Sam gets far more alcohol in his drink than I do.

 

Tip or bribe?

 

Sam tips well so he gets served before me despite me waiting for a drink longer than him as I don't tip well.

 

Tip or bribe?

 

 

Also I just received an email from RCL that their auto grats are going up again from $12.95 USD to $13.50 USD (around 4% if my maths are correct) as of May 1. This is at least the 2nd if not 3rd grats rise in the last 3 years each well over the CPI. Just get the feeling that they are starting to gouge a little in this area.

Wonder if this has anything to do with people removing the auto grats.

We booked the Taieri Gorge rail trip right off the ship at the I site ( information site), you have to get off the ship right after docking. The I site was set up in a tent by the exit to the port. They gave us a ticket to the same shuttle buses that HAL was using and the first couple of shuttle buses stopped at the railroad station. The Station is spectacular and the train is a cute old diesal locomotive. The train left at 9:30 and returned at 1 pm. The journey was ok but I don't think spectacular. We rode through alots of ugly areas that have been deforested by the lumber companies. It a shame they didn't leave a wall of pine trees to block this deforestation. Dunedin is a neat little city to wander around. There is an excellent Museum and a botanical garden

Yes the public train usually goes at 9.30 (runs 20 minutes behind the the ships train) and returns at 1.30 giving you plenty of time fir more sight seeing.

Regards the experience, i could say the same for the train into the Yukon from Skagway Alaska. Both however, are incredible pieces of engineering and you need to get out onto the viewing platforms to fully experience the journey.

Cant recall any ugly parts of the Taeiri rail.

I suppose it does vary from line to line and also drink to drink but generally it is the conversion which does most of the damage. For me personally, the drinks are dearer on Princess compared to X and RCI.

RCI drink prices are not high. On Radiance at the moment and a 20oz xxxx gold draught beer is $6 inc gratuities. Thats about $8 Aus. I can live with that. Certainly not over the top considering the environment i am in - a beautiful cruise ship

Hugh

For both Broome and Geraldton be aware that ships often miss these ports in strong winds. We were able to get into Broome but not Geraldton.

Weather in Broome in September is hot. Geraldton is much milder..

As mentioned there are shuttle buses into town. Similar to Picton, you are not able to walk off. Great little Museum a short bus ride from town.

Swismiss. You need to understand that the smoking rules differ when the ships operate out of Australian waters. All ships must comply with Australian regulations when in Australian waters.

Ships sailing out of non Aussie ports seem to have a more relaxed smoking rule insofar that many do allow smoking in the Casino.

Although it is good to see that many also have stopped smoking on balconies in overseas sailings.

Just got off Voyager of the Seas on 25 March and was told by Next Cruise desk that Australian bookings should now open on 14 April:D

That agrees with the UK date of April 15. Will ask questions on Radiance during the next week.

RCI also does a circumnavigation in Oct and Feb with Radiance. Can be done as a b2b. They often include Albany and Esperance in W.A.

Voyager and Explorer also do reposition cruises from Singapore to Sydney via either the west coast (Explorer) or East Coast.

Thanks for the update. Will have to wait another 11 months and 3 weeks. Not counting:)

The lounges usually have top servers. After the first day, most usually have your drink ready by the time you find a seat. With the extra drinks on th card from the bars, i may need assistance finding the dining room:eek: