Ovation extends Australian season in 2016/217

[The_Big_M]

Radiance is shown in the Sydney Ports schedule at the OPT on 20th Feb. Radiance leaves Sydney 9th Feb for a 16 day top end and will be in Bali on the 20th Feb.

 

Don't know how long that date has shown Radiance but now seems very coincidental with the rescheduled relocation leaving 20th Feb.

 

Good investigating... and now the cloak is revealed. :)

[Cruise ship fan]

So were those cruises listed for sale for the Radiance. As it now looks like they are cancelled as well. Unless they decided to move the Radiance to Newcastle for those cruises. Since they can keep all their other bookings and it won't cause a huge disruption for passengers since it's close to Sydney.

[chester32]

Regardless of where the extra cruise may be at the end of the day RCI cancelled a cruise stating overwhelming demand/interest , I would call it overwhelming greed , At the end of the day a decision was made to inconvenience thousand of passengers so more cruises could be achieved and at the prices for Ovation in Aus compared to Asia there is a lot more money to be made here . Passengers will be compensated but for a lot timing of there holidays cant be changed so bad luck???? So maybe RCI should include in there promos of Ovation, no guarantees we wont cancel if we can make more money elsewhere?

[claudio]

I also believe it has to tender in auckland and forget about port vila

noumea

might fit in suva

Wow dunno if id like to tender with 5000 peo p le

[timtam2]

Sydney ports is updated today.

Additional bookings for Ovation of the Seas as follows:

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

 

So a 5nighter,2 x12 nights and a 3 nighter. 2 short cruises means the ship becomes more affordable. A long term marketing benefit for RCI....go on the short one and then you want to go on a longer cruise next season.

 

I think i'll take the 5 nighter - I've already got the time off and it includes Australia Day

[GUT2407]

That's an argument used before, but the government doesn't control/determine the usage of Garden Island. It's controlled by the Navy, and tourism benefits don't play much into their priorities. :)

 

(As Cruise ship fan also said. :-) )

 

And I was about to say.

 

For some strange reaon defense takes priority.

 

Go figure.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Except Garden Island is under the control of the Navy. The government cannot just say let us use the dock. The navy has to be able to justify and give permission. Which is becoming less and less likely as the navy is getting larger ships and there already isn't enough room at Garden island so it would be a hard pitch for a cruise line to get a dock there.

 

That's an argument used before, but the government doesn't control/determine the usage of Garden Island. It's controlled by the Navy, and tourism benefits don't play much into their priorities. :)

 

(As Cruise ship fan also said. :-) )

 

I would have thought the Navy was under the ultimate control of the Govt.

Garden Island is becoming too small for the Navy anyway.

It think the day will come when a decision has to be made as to its future. I could see the Navy moving to Newcastle and the cruise industry to Garden Island.

What a boost that would be for Newcastle , and it would remove a prime target from Sydneys CBD.

 

[Kiwi Kruzer]

I also believe it has to tender in auckland and forget about port vila

noumea

might fit in suva

Wow dunno if id like to tender with 5000 peo p le

 

 

Tendering 5,000 people inAuckland will be a nightmare. I would imagine the ship would also need refueling, so passengers off on one side and a fuel barge on the other. What a shambles.:eek:

 

[GUT2407]

I would have thought the Navy was under the ultimate control of the Govt.

Garden Island is becoming too small for the Navy anyway.

It think the day will come when a decision has to be made as to its future. I could see the Navy moving to Newcastle and the cruise industry to Garden Island.

What a boost that would be for Newcastle , and it would remove a prime target from Sydneys CBD.

 

 

I can see the day when the Navy leaves Garden Island, what I can't see is any Govt telling defence that they must share with a commercial vessel, if the Dept is opposing it.

[GUT2407]

Tendering 5,000 people inAuckland will be a nightmare. I would imagine the ship would also need refueling, so passengers off on one side and a fuel barge on the other. What a shambles.:eek:

 

 

Bad enough tendering half that umber on Diamond. Probably the worst thing about big ships.

[The_Big_M]

I can see the day when the Navy leaves Garden Island, what I can't see is any Govt telling defence that they must share with a commercial vessel, if the Dept is opposing it.

 

Not sure about the first, but agree with the second.

 

Even if the government felt the economic benefit? trumped the defence need, for the defence minister to jump in and tell the Navy to do something different needs justification. As you're then no longer letting people do the job they're paid to do, so it causes a lot of dissatisfaction and badly impacts morale.

[The_Big_M]

Bad enough tendering half that umber on Diamond. Probably the worst thing about big ships.

 

Agreed. Having experienced the 5 hour unload process on Explorer, it's a real mood/holiday dampener.

Edited April 8, 2016 by The_Big_M

[MMDown Under]

Bad enough tendering half that umber on Diamond. Probably the worst thing about big ships.

 

MSC Poesia was the most beautiful spotless ship I had cruised on at that time. However, the 3000 + passengers turned me off big ships forever. Disembarking and embarking seemed to bring out the worst in people and I can't recall whether we even tendered!

 

And don't get me talking about standing back to let people get out of the lift, before you get in! :)

[Very Frequent Flyer]

Has anyone received further updates?

[The_Big_M]

Nothing released yet. They estimated a couple of weeks.

[GUT2407]

MSC Poesia was the most beautiful spotless ship I had cruised on at that time. However, the 3000 + passengers turned me off big ships forever. Disembarking and embarking seemed to bring out the worst in people and I can't recall whether we even tendered!

 

And don't get me talking about standing back to let people get out of the lift, before you get in! :)

 

Standing back and letting people out of the lifts, wha foolishness is this you talk of. Never seen such behaviour.

 

Try being in a wheelchair, by the time you get it moving the of is full. And stairs aren't an alternative.

 

We all no sea air shrinks clothes, sometimes I think it may also shrink manners.

[icat2000]

I am booked on the repo. Only found out about it through fb.Ta has no details I probably take the deposit back cause reason why I booked because a good price b birthday cruise.

[Cruise ship fan]

Royal has now given us a letter regarding the new cruises and reimbursement.

The new cruises are, 5 night Tasmanian cruise, 12 night New Zealand cruise, 8 night Tasmania and South Australia cruise, a 3 night sampler and an identical repositioning cruise.

 

They have offered us $200 and the option to move to one of those cruises or another Royal cruise for the same rates.

[Cruise ship fan]

The NZ cruise also goes to Noumea and Mystery Island.

[avalon007]

The NZ cruise also goes to Noumea and Mystery Island.

 

That's interesting - maybe wanting to test out tendering at Mystery island where there is a small dock etc to see how it all goes? Could also be fairly crowded with the extra passengers on a little island like that.

 

I'm hoping they offer some variation in the cruises in the 2017/18 season as I would probably book her again if it isn't just NZ/Australia.

[Tigerlily75]

Royal has now given us a letter regarding the new cruises and reimbursement.

The new cruises are, 5 night Tasmanian cruise, 12 night New Zealand cruise, 8 night Tasmania and South Australia cruise, a 3 night sampler and an identical repositioning cruise.

 

They have offered us $200 and the option to move to one of those cruises or another Royal cruise for the same rates.

 

Thanks for posting this! Do you know if it's in that order? Ie, the 5 night Tasmanian cruise will be 23rd of Jan? Wondering if we can squeeze one in before school goes back, though at this stage we might be in Asia. Choices, choices...!

[Cruise ship fan]

Thanks for posting this! Do you know if it's in that order? Ie, the 5 night Tasmanian cruise will be 23rd of Jan? Wondering if we can squeeze one in before school goes back, though at this stage we might be in Asia. Choices, choices...!

Yes the 5 night is the 23rd of Jan. 12 night the 28th, 8 night the 9th and 3 night the 17th, with the new relocation cruise on the 20th of Feb.

 

The tasmanian cruise does an overnight stop in hobart on the 25th - 26th of January.

[Cruise ship fan]

That's interesting - maybe wanting to test out tendering at Mystery island where there is a small dock etc to see how it all goes? Could also be fairly crowded with the extra passengers on a little island like that.

 

I'm hoping they offer some variation in the cruises in the 2017/18 season as I would probably book her again if it isn't just NZ/Australia.

That cruise may end up being a test of the South Pacific for the ship. Since I don't think it had tendered at such a small place before.

[hbtcruiser]

The new cruises are, 5 night Tasmanian cruise, 12 night New Zealand cruise, 8 night Tasmania and South Australia cruise, a 3 night sampler and an identical repositioning cruise.

 

 

Interested in the NZ cruise, also that you say it goes to New Caledonia. Do you have an itinerary of ports and dates?

[Tigerlily75]

Yes the 5 night is the 23rd of Jan. 12 night the 28th, 8 night the 9th and 3 night the 17th, with the new relocation cruise on the 20th of Feb.

 

The tasmanian cruise does an overnight stop in hobart on the 25th - 26th of January.

 

Thank you!