chester32

Hi JB

You have a lot off driving ahead of you but you bypassed the best place on the south coast Narooma (bias of course) but it is a small town on the coast half an hour south of Moruya it is also the gateway to Montague Island.

Also Kiama is south of Wollongong (about 20 mins) , also when you leave Kiama take the tourist drive through Gerringong/Gerroa much nicer than going down the Hwy and it takes you to Nowra

Merimbula is also very nice and yes you can get to Canberra quite easily from there probably about 3/4 hours drive might be less as haven't done it that way before

Just take your time and enjoy the south coast let me know if you have any questions

Cheers

Last time we were at the GBR I would say at least 30% of snorkelers used the floatation devices and also in the water there is a number of rest stations floating rings sort off just hold on to them and have a rest

Go on give it a try:D

I would do the GBR from cairns we did the same cruise last year but the reef trip was not available with the ship from cairns only at Airlie beach which we went on , it was good but only 2 hours at the reef. I see the one they are offering in cairns is less time traveling giving you 4.5 hours at the reef

At Newcastle I would recommend the Port Stephens dolphin cruise although this is also weather permitting

I can certainly recommend a land tour of the west coast of south island.

You can see some spectacular and varied scenery with the rain forest in Haast Pass, walking on theFox and Franz Josef glaciers and the unusual pancake rocks and blow hole. To get the full advantage, you should hire a car as this would allow you to stop as often as you like for photos (and you most certainly will want to!). Spring tends to be the best season, with snow still way down on the mountains; however, remember that the magnificent rain forests are due to the many rainy days on the west coast.

Sounds good might hire something like a camper van do the west coast then go on a cruise down the east coast that finishes back in Sydney not sure how much time we will need but ill start doing some research

Thanks for the info

2 reasons ..Geography and Weather.

Its a very wild coastline as the seas sweep up from the Southern Ocean and the westerly winds can be fierce.Tasmania is the same. Shipping avoids the west coast and uses the calmer eastern side.

However when conditions are OK the West Coast is awesome with some really stunning beaches and fabulous vistas. Its a surfers paradise...:D.

 

 

Thanks David

Sort of thought it might be the sea conditions used to work a kiwi lad and he kept telling me about the surf over there could have this wrong but a spot called Raglin something like that was all he talked about.

Maybe one day we might do a land tour of the west coast and then cruise back to oz one day

Been looking at a NZ cruises and just wondering why no cruises (that I can see ) don't do the west coast

We have cruised NZ (east coast and Milford) before and I suppose we are just looking for something different

There is probably a very simple reason for it anybody know?

I can't seem to figure out how to do this on the website, so I'm asking here.

 

Celebrity Select Dining

If you choose Celebrity Select Dining, you will still be seated in the ship's main restaurant, order from the same dinner menu, and enjoy the same exemplary service, but with more flexibility of timing. Choose this option when booking your cruise and you can make reservations day by day pre-cruise, reserve once onboard, or simply come to the dining room whenever you'd like to have dinner.

 

Celebrity Select Main Dining reservations can be made online up to four days prior to sailing, or once onboard with the Maitre d'. Subject to availability. Gratuities must be prepaid in order to participate in Select Dining. Only groups of 20 or less can be seated at one time.

 

How the heck do you do this? :) I'm fairly savvy and haven't been able to find how to do this when logged in to my cruise.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

Here is what I do and you can reserve each night

Log on to my celebrity (username password)

Click the drop down arrow on Manage Reservation

Click view reservation

Click View on Dining Preference

Check the Select Dining box and click reserve now

A box will come up asking to reserve all days just click reserve now (you wont have to reserve each day)From there just pick your time and table size preference

Hope it works for you

Just booked the 3 speciatily dinner package on solstice and it seems that you have to go on the first night is this how it is all the time ?we normally like to just have something light the first night and be on deck for the departure

Not that It really matters its I just thought you had a choice

I'm just a bit frustrated, and was wondering if anyone has gone through something similar.

 

I disembarked off an RCI cruise 3 weeks ago and found out that they had overcharged my credit card by $4000! I've called and talked to customer service but between "trying to get in touch with the ship and the Christmas holidays, and contacting the main office in America" nothing has been done yet.

 

I'm usually a really patient person, and I've been polite and courteous, but it's been 3 weeks and $4000 isn't exactly chump change!

 

Ok vent over, thanks for reading.

Not sure if this will help but It sure seem to work for me

I was recently waiting for $1200.00 owed to me from RCI after 7 weeks and numerous emails I sent one final email saying my patience had run out and I was taking the matter to the Ombudsman and low and behold I received a phone call the next day saying the funds would be refunded in 2 days which it was , maybe it might have just been coincidence but first time I have had a call from RCI

Can anyone advise which beers are readily available on the Classic package?

Hi Ronin

I have been trying to find out this too ,as far as I can gather the only local beer available is VB and Carlton and apparently they are not covered in the classic package waiting on an email from RCI to conform this will let you know I get any info

I tried all the suggestions. Nothing worked. I called Celebrity and had them do it. It took the agent quite some time to do it. Celebrity website is terrible.

Here is what I do and you can reserve each night

Log on to my celebrity (username password)

Click the drop down arrow on Manage Reservation

Click view reservation

Click View on Dining Preference

Check the Select Dining box and click reserve now

A box will come up asking to reserve all days just click reserve now (you wont have to reserve each day)From there just pick your time and table size preference

Hope it works for you

When we were on rhapsody they had Aus beers at normal price

Might just wait till we get on board before we buy the package, but I was looking at the discounted price to buy the package online

Thanks anyway

Just wondering if any one who has been on solstice doing an Australian based cruise could tell me do they have Aus brand beers on board and are they covered in the classic package

Thanks

oh I prefer Tooheys or xxxx

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

Eleanore Roosevelt, in her book This Is My Story, 1937

Truer word never said

I like the original op have never cruised with celebrity(first one next year) before only on Royal

But I certainly don't have any concerns about peoples status as we are all there to have a well earned break and enjoy ourselves

Have to admit though I find it amusing that people find it necessary to state their status in their signatures each to there own I guess

So just enjoy your cruise and everyone have a merry xmas;)

Just wondering if there is any confusion here created by Australian/USD conversion rates. Or are all the prices you are quoting in USD? If the latter, I'd be getting them to check their math!

Prices are AUD$ but I think I have found the problem

I just went to Celebs website and clicked beverages packages

and the price is $46.20 per day +15% so this gives the $1806.00 total

But if you click the online savings it still says $44.00 +15% per day

So I don't know I will just pay

It is only $86.00 difference but it would be better in my pocket than theirs and I would rather have it to tip waiters

Thanks for the feedback

You pay 15% - but the total for the length of the cruise is no of day x $44, plus 15%. So the figure should be the same? If you are doing this on line, once you get to the total (payment) page, the figure should confirm this.

 

Good luck :)

 

Lou

Thanks for the reply

I agree with what you say but it still doesn't add up example

$44 x 17 nights = $748.00 x 2 people =$1496.00 + 15% = $1720.00

But they are charging me $1806.00 ?

So I am confused

Quote:I've never really seen that on a Celebrity ship but I'm also usually in a cabin on a lower deck (and ofter inside), so I'm usually with the more normal people who just want to enjoy a great vacation...

Are you serious?

More Normal people? don't see where you get off saying this?

We choose to be in a balcony cabin because that is what we like and all we want is to enjoy our vacation for which we have both worked hard for and don't care about any extras that may come with the cabin

So get rid off that chip on your shoulder

Once again sorry if this has already been explained

But I just went to purchase a drinks package for next cruise , so do you pay the 15% gratuities on the day rate ie $44 or on the total for the length of the cruise

Don't want to sound like a penny pincher but there is a difference in the final bill

Thanks

RCI did you wrong, and you're never going to use your TA again(?). I don't get this.:confused:

Your right It was RCI fault

But without going into a marathon post about my dealings with the TA

but basically I was the one doing the chasing if I left it to the TA I would still be waiting

So it is more about lack of assistance and not just in this matter

Thanks for your replies money is in the bank

Have a merry xmas

Well waiting maybe over TA said they have received refund and will credit to my card, yah only took 8 weeks

But what has me intrigued is that last night I sent another email to Mr Goldstein stating that my patience had run out, as at that time I was still waiting and stated that I will be taking the matter to the Ombudsmen.

Well low and behold within 14 hours I received a phone call from RCI saying in regards to my last email that the refund had been deposited to the TA

So RCI can respond to emails quicker than 5 days

So it really does show how much RCI really care about customer service .NOT

At the end of the day refund back, RCI never going back

the cruise will be spending one day/night from Sydney to Hobart, two sea days/nights from Port Arthur to the Fiords of NZ and one sea day/night from Wellington to Auckland. How bad are the seas likely to be in each of these segments?

 

thanks, Fiona

I really wouldn't be worrying about it too much , on our last trip to NZ we were greeted by some rather large seas at the bottom end of NZ but at no stage was their any reason to be concerned.

If you are prone to sea sickness just take something

But really don't worry and just enjoy it will be fine:)

We will be visiting Airlie Beach in March while sailing on Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas. We are trying to decide if we should do the Great Barrier Reef ship excursion from there. The alternative is a snorkeling tour of the Whitsundays. The GBR tour costs about 2X the Whitsunday tour.

 

A little background here. DW and I are avid snorkelers. We will be visiting Cairns post-cruise and have arranged a 3-day, 2-night liveaboard trip to the GBR from there. So we will be visiting the GBR regardless. However, this tour gives us an opportunity to see a different part of the reef and also gives us a back-up plan to see the reef in case some problem arises (bad weather for example) while we are in Cairns. Of course snorkeling around the Whitsundays should be very nice too.

 

We usually don't do ship excursions because they are typically very crowded and expensive. The Whitsunday tour would be a private excursion. For the GBR out of Airlie Beach the ship's excursion is pretty much the only safe way to go.

 

Does anyone have experience with this tour through Royal Caribbean? Under the circumstances would you recommend it? I suspect that other cruise lines run pretty much the same tour. Any thoughts or suggestions are much appreciated!

I would do the Whitsunday tour you have 2 days on the reef from Cairns cant get much better than that

We did the GBR tour last march from Airlie beach on the Rhapsody which was good but a bit rushed (only 2 hours at the reef) so I think it may be a bit of a let down after your 2 day trip

We will be back at Airlie beach early march and we are looking at a Whitsunday reef air/snorkel tour which is about a 4 hour trip so allows plenty time to get back to the ship

Which ever you do enjoy

Yes they do.

 

Here is the link on Celebrity's website (it is a little hidden). My husband has rented with both X and RCI and thought the X tux was a little nicer.

 

Cheers,

Thanks for the reply

I did find a tux hire on celebs website but I could be wrong but to me it reads like you need to order in advance couldn't see anything about just hiring on board

Maybe I m missing something?

Having never been on celebrity normally on royal but we will be on solstice next year just wondering do they have a suit hire service like they do with royal , just don't want the hassle of trying to pack one

Thanks

Your TA coming back to you saying there was a system error with RCI, after you have been waiting over 7 weeks for your refund, makes me wonder just who had the system error. It can be interpreted a couple of ways; RCI had a system error and didn't tell your TA; or your TA had a system error communicating with RCI.

Whichever way the system error is interpreted your TA wasn't working for you letting the refund issue stagnate for so long. They hold your booking and are there to work for you and be your advocate with the cruise line. That is why RCI couldn't not wouldn't talk to you.

If you have decided not to cruise with RCI again I also hope you have decided to find a new TA who will take better care of you.

Hope everything turns out well for you.

Cheers, h.

Just had email from RCI which basically said sorry for the delay but the problem was on there end and is being rectified and will contact the TA so all I can do is wait

You are right I will not be using this TA again