TrilbyJane55

Hi long time stalker very few posts. I am on Ovation cruise to nowhere with my gorgeous no 1 daughter for a much needed break.  I am platinum 1 point off Emerald.  Also we are cruising with 2 friends and 1 is terrified of cruising so I would like  their time on board to be fabulous as their partner loves loves cruising. I have been on Ovation once before and  loved the ship.

My 2 questions are - 

What time can I board? I realise my friends will need to wait for their designated boarding time.

 Is 270 or the Solarium Bistro open for lunch on boarding days .

My thought is 270 would be spectacular as you would be looking at bridge Milsons Point etc etc but if 270 not open Solarium would give u great views over city. Thank you in advance for your answers. Trilby xxx

We did our first RCL cruise in Oct 2013 and to purchase a drinks package both persons in a room needed to purchase the package. I think it only changed within the last few years, maybe 2 or 3 years ago!!!

We were on the radiance end of Jan/Feb. Loved it. A beautiful ship. She is showing some signs of wear and tear but hopefully they will be put right after refurb in May. the feel of the ship is lovely. Steve the CD and his team were amazing, after 8 cruises have never seen a CD out and about as much, I don't think he slept. I heard people complaining they had to wait 5mins for a coffee, where else did they have to be!!! IMHO we are privileged to be able to afford such a beautiful holiday and so what if we have to get off our bums and get a drink ourselves. 1st world problems:):):)

Thank you for the review. I am reliving the trip through your posts. The "reef pilot" was one of the highlights. He had the most wonderful voice and so informative, I tried to write as much as possible as he spoke. The NY ladies were not very sociable at all. I remember seeing you a few times madly typing on your iphone. Hope you enjoy the cruise next year with your buddies, and without the added worry of your Mum.:):)

DH and I just completed the top end trip on the Radiance. The highlight for us in Benoa/Bali was the Elephant Safari Park in Taro village. It was the only ship board excursion we did and wow was it fun. The village is in the mountains so as the rest of the passengers sweltered in Kuta we had a lovely breeze and very pleasant weather. The elephants were great, we stood and watched for about 2 hours a 7mth female and her mother play. It was magical. I had read some not real great reports on Trip Advisor but I did not hear any complaints or negative comments on the 4 bus loads from our ship. Would highly recommend this excursion:):)