Changes coming to RCCL ships in Australia?

[robinph]

Horses for courses I guess. I never found seating an issue on Radiance myself, but maybe I don't tend to sit down as much as you may like to, so didn't find it an issue?

 

Lovely seating at he back of the Colony Club with rear wake views which I have always found fairly empty during the day, the solarium with seating indoors has ocean views both sides.

 

Centrum seating is only on two sides of the four on some decks that's true, but I believe that is because of the multi story glass elevators that you can see through out to the sea. The glass elevators are a feature I really like on Radiance

 

They do take part of the seating away in a few lounge areas around the centrum for photo shoots, but I only recall that happening in the evening & only on formal nights.

 

I use the Starquest for dancing mostly so no views after dark.:D

 

Once or twice went up there for viewing in the day, but quite often we find those sort of spots on any ship full of older passengers in the day, snoozing or reading & not even watching the scenery! :rolleyes: Whilst people who wanted to watch the actual view have to stand behind them - you get some very selfish people on board all cruises who hog seats as well.

 

Although different cruises on the same ship can have different things happening, having been on 4 cruises on Radiance I can't say I experienced your issues with her, but everyone views things differently.:)

 

We didn't have any issues with seating either, we spent 5 weeks on her round Aust & NZ and absolutely loved her, hoping to get back on her this year, you forgot to mention the beautiful outdoor tables and chairs at the back of the buffet...such a wonderful area to eat or just to sit and watch the world go by on a lovely sunny day, and for those colder days, as you say the lounges in the colony club were great, especially near the windows.Robin:)

[avalon007]

Yes, we love those seats at the back of the Windjammer as well.

 

We found them protected from the breeze in colder weather & were sitting out there at the end of our Alaska cruise whilst sailing the inside passage & saw a pod of killer whales. Magical!

 

Also a good place for sail away when leaving Sydney with a cocktail & a view of the harbour as you sail out to sea. :D

[cassamanda]

We didn't have any issues with seating either, we spent 5 weeks on her round Aust & NZ and absolutely loved her, hoping to get back on her this year, you forgot to mention the beautiful outdoor tables and chairs at the back of the buffet...such a wonderful area to eat or just to sit and watch the world go by on a lovely sunny day, and for those colder days, as you say the lounges in the colony club were great, especially near the windows.Robin:)

 

Hi Robin & Fred, fully agree with your comments and shall seek shelter in those spots tomorrow:D

Hope all going well,

Regards Hugh & Chris

[bazzaw]

I can't say that we found any difficulty in finding somewhere to sit on Radiance. I did notice that there were some places that seemed to be excessively "popular" -like the bottom bit of the Atrium , and I would expect that if you always wanted to sit there or perhaps near the coffee shop , you could be disappointed -- BUT I also noticed that there were many other parts of the ship that appear to be almost perpetually empty.

[woodscruise]

When we did a cruise on Voyager ots, we did tender into their local island. It was by a tender boat that was located at there island and not from the ship.

It was quite a large vessel and could easy accommodate a large number of people. It will be interesting when they fit VOTS with tender boats and how they handle the crowds.

[robinph]

Hi Robin & Fred, fully agree with your comments and shall seek shelter in those spots tomorrow:D

Hope all going well,

Regards Hugh & Chris

 

Hi Hugh and Chris, hope you have a great cruise, where is this one going? Robin & Fred :)

[NikandMick]

However, since they monitor these boards ( I was told this by a the entertainment officer on a cruise last year) then lets not keep our wishes a secret.....

 

Give us a ship here full time Royal & while your at it add some new itineraries to the list - how about a little more of Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti & include Tonga or Solomon islands, PNG, etc.!!

 

I would love to see some cruises ex Sydney that include some Asian ports but return to Sydney as well. Thanks. :D

 

I would love to see more cruises too. I'm hesitant to keep doing the same cruises over and over, there is so much to see out there!

I agree more Tahiti itinearies would be fabulous and throw in Bora Bora too ;-)

[aussielozzie18]

I second having Royal here full-time. Would be a great to be able to do a cruise in the Oct school hols - realise this doesnt appeal to everyone - but if you're only able to sail during school hols it would give us more options.

[avalon007]

I would love to see more cruises too. I'm hesitant to keep doing the same cruises over and over, there is so much to see out there!

I agree more Tahiti itinearies would be fabulous and throw in Bora Bora too ;-)

 

 

Yes we are at that point now, having done most of the ex Sydney options already.

 

We reach Diamond level in Royals C&A club next cruise so will then venture onto Royal's other cruise lines where we get reciprocal benefits, if the itinerary suits us better. We plan on sailing Celebrity in Central America via the Panama Canal or elsewhere in South America next year.

Would love to do Antarctica & Galapagos Islands as well with Celebrity!

 

Regards Tahitian islands, I think Moorea is the island not to miss, Bora Bora is pretty but not as dramatic a landscape. Papeete is still worth a look as well. But hey, lets not limit ourselves, we'll take them all! :D

[dancinman66]

Queen Mary 2 tenders.

 

yes but with only 2800 passengers, and that is a realistic limit

It is no fun tendering with that many

 

but rccl have a good plan for management of tendering and will work well

 

flowrider would be great

 

I had heard from a concierge on one ship that mariner was coming to aus to replace rhapsody, but as it is all said

 

until it happens!

 

cheers

Greg:)

[dancinman66]

Funny thing about QM2 my father in law said.

 

He went on her last year on a cruise out of Sydney, he liked her - but complained there were a lot old people on board - he's 83 years old! :eek: :D

 

Age on the qm2 is dependant on the itinerary and location, but yes they still tend to be older

average age will vary from 40 through to 73 depending

 

I don't like her layout as she has these half decks which are a pain to navigate

she rides so well in big seas though

 

Greg:)

[PJOZ]

I second having Royal here full-time. Would be a great to be able to do a cruise in the Oct school hols - realise this doesnt appeal to everyone - but if you're only able to sail during school hols it would give us more options.

 

Agree. Is the best time of year for us to cruise so it's frustrating there are not many options with a lot of the ships (other lines as well) not arriving till after school goes back.

[gaechann]

I'm another RCI loyalist that would love to see a ship here year-round but...... what I'd hope would happen is that they realise that it's best to cruise NORTH in our winter (May to July say) then SOUTH in our summer months (November to February) and anywhere & everywhere in the other months.

 

We have cyclones in our summer which is when the RCI ships head up to Cairns & the South Pacific! Right into the path of any bad weather! :eek: How much more sensible to cruise around our Southern states and New Zealand.

 

Then during our colder months of June, July & August, how nice it would be to cruise up to Cairns and the South Pacific which are always warm with usually no threat of cyclones at that time of the year!

 

I too would like to see cruises further into the Pacific from say Brisbane return.

 

Then lots could go to Asia from Fremantle return.

 

Listen to your customers RCI! Your ships down under are NOT filled with North Americans and Canadians! We Aussies usually represent 80% of the passengers on each ship! :D

 

Gae

Edited January 29, 2014 by gaechann

[MicCanberra]

I think that QM2 carries about 1000 less people - even though it is a bigger vessel.

 

 

Barry

Yes, and they probably count on half of the pax to stay on board.:D

Edited January 29, 2014 by MicCanberra

[dancinman66]

Yes, and they probably count on half of the pax to stay on board.:D

 

This is where priority boarding and tendering is a godsend with the frequent cruiser loyalty programmes

 

saves lots of time and headaches, especially when reboarding the ship and a huge que awaits

Greg:D

[The_Big_M]

[quote name='gaechann']I'm another RCI loyalist that would love to see a ship here year-round but...... what I'd hope would happen is that they realise that [B]it's best to cruise NORTH in our winter (May to July say) then SOUTH in our summer months (November to February) and anywhere & everywhere in the other months.[/B]

We have cyclones in our summer which is when the RCI ships head up to Cairns & the South Pacific! Right into the path of any bad weather! :eek: How much more sensible to cruise around our Southern states and New Zealand.

Listen to your customers RCI! Your ships down under are NOT filled with North Americans and Canadians! We Aussies usually represent 80% of the passengers on each ship! :D

[/QUOTE]

That's may be true about being "sensible" - but there are still a majority of locals who prefer to sail to the 'beach' destinations i.e. north in our Summer time as well.

[springaussie]

For Asia/Pacific, where the company has 12% more capacity in 2014 and the region comprises a 12% chunk of its deployment, Royal Caribbean is ahead of last year, with net yields expected to be 'up nicely.'

Goldstein said the company was pleased with the Asia-Pacific region last year, and the introduction of a second Voyager-class ship, Mariner of the Seas, went well in China. Australia remains a 'robust' market, despite industry capacity increases and, lately, a weaker Australian dollar. The Japan-China territorial dispute remains a wildcard and the company has had to work around that by not delivering all the Japanese ports planned last year, nor will it be able to do so this year.

[url]http://www.seatrade-insider.com/news/news-headlines/royal-caribbeans-window-on-the-wave-pricing-costs-and-europes-resurgence.html?nspPage=1[/url]

[MicCanberra]

[quote name='dancinman66']This is where priority boarding and tendering is a godsend with the frequent cruiser loyalty programmes

saves lots of time and headaches, especially when reboarding the ship and a huge que awaits
Greg:D[/quote]
Yes, I agree, however, I do not qualify for any priorities just yet, next year I will though (with at least one line).:D Edited January 29, 2014 by MicCanberra

[MicCanberra]

[quote name='springaussie']For Asia/Pacific, where the company has 12% more capacity in 2014 and the region comprises a 12% chunk of its deployment, Royal Caribbean is ahead of last year, with net yields expected to be 'up nicely.'

Goldstein said the company was pleased with the Asia-Pacific region last year, and the introduction of a second Voyager-class ship, Mariner of the Seas, went well in China. Australia remains a 'robust' market, despite industry capacity increases and, lately, a weaker Australian dollar. The Japan-China territorial dispute remains a wildcard and the company has had to work around that by not delivering all the Japanese ports planned last year, nor will it be able to do so this year.

[URL]http://www.seatrade-insider.com/news/news-headlines/royal-caribbeans-window-on-the-wave-pricing-costs-and-europes-resurgence.html?nspPage=1[/URL][/quote]
Interesting, I do hope the issues between the two nations can be resolved as it will have flow on effects to us if it doesn't.:D

[springaussie]

Rhapsody of the Seas now in Buenos Aires Cruise Ship visits for Summer 2015/16.

[url]http://www.puertobuenosaires.gov.ar/moduloGRAL.php?p=temppostprox[/url]

[rkmw]

[quote name='dancinman66']This is where priority boarding and tendering is a godsend with the frequent cruiser loyalty programmes

saves lots of time and headaches, especially when reboarding the ship and a huge que awaits
Greg:D[/quote]

never heard of priority tendering when returning to the ship, with Princess its def not allowed, you have to wait your turn like everyone else

[rkmw]

do RCI get priority tender service, i know that Celebrity and Princess elites receive it

[snowbird1]

[quote name='dancinman66']This is where priority boarding and tendering is a godsend with the frequent cruiser loyalty programmes

saves lots of time and headaches, especially when reboarding the ship and a huge que awaits
Greg:D[/QUOTE]

At present RCCL does not have priority reboarding with tenders to a ship, only when you ck in at the port.

I wish they would especially at CoCo Caye.
Sent from my iPad

[MicCanberra]

[quote name='rkmw']do RCI get priority tender service, i know that [B]Celebrity and Princess elites[/B] receive it[/quote]
But they only get the priority leaving the ship via tender not returning to the ship via tender.:D

[The_Big_M]

[quote name='springaussie']For Asia/Pacific, where the company has 12% more capacity in 2014 and the region comprises a 12% chunk of its deployment, Royal Caribbean is ahead of last year, with net yields expected to be 'up nicely.'
[/quote]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Interesting to compare to the Caribbean, where there’s been a 13% industry increase, but bookings and rates are down.[/FONT][/SIZE]