(An almost) Standing Ovation - Dubai to Singapore (review)

[cdwh1902]

Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. Like many others, we are joining her in Sydney for the Christmas cruise to NZ. Your review was most informative and helpful, and has given us an insight of what to expect! :)

[cincicruisers]

Thanks for sharing with us.

[Aussie lost in space]

Sorry for the delay - I've been abroad for a few days. I think other people have answered most of your questions. Anyway heres my answers- yes we booked all dining online in advance. At first it was just pay restaurants open for reservation but later all dining opened up. I didnt book shows - did that on board using the RoyalIQ app. I booked north star in advance. In the end we missed our turn as we were doing something else. In terms of iFly I wasnt going to do it but on second last day my friends did it so I asked could I get in the "class" after them for the one minute flight. They accommodated me. There were three of the 8 in the group who had "flown" before on the cruise. Not sure if Noodle place will revert to JR. I didnt keep the compasses sorry.

 

Thanks for responding back Tom. No hassle with the delay, I truly appreciate people have lives to live and don't spend every minute glued to the CC boards, appreciate your response back and the review. I suspected that dining and entertainment would open up later, around the 90 day out mark, so thanks for the confirmation. Sounds like you enjoyed Wonderland, which is one of the other 'Speciality' restaurants we are considering too, we have booked chef's table already.

 

Hopefully Beaniecrazed2 is able to post the compasses, that is if you don't mind? I have found it gives everyone a good indicator of when things are likely to be scheduled, so helps planning. Again thank you for your review Tom, look forward to hearing more.

[cruising teacher]

Were passengers allowed to board the ship without visas? We are on the Celebrity Constellation in January and I beginning to appreciate how difficult this process is!

[Maxit]

What a fantastic review. Thank you for your time spent doing this. Very excited for ours in Feb2017.

[FirstCruise2331]

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We are sailing on Ovation in November, and are thrilled to read more about her.

 

Glad you are reading along, I love the reading everything I can about the ship phase looking forward to a cruise!

[FirstCruise2331]

Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. Like many others, we are joining her in Sydney for the Christmas cruise to NZ. Your review was most informative and helpful, and has given us an insight of what to expect! :)

 

Sydney to NZ sounds like a great cruise!

[FirstCruise2331]

Thanks for sharing with us.

 

No problem, its nice to remember the great experience we had!

[FirstCruise2331]

Thanks for responding back Tom. No hassle with the delay, I truly appreciate people have lives to live and don't spend every minute glued to the CC boards, appreciate your response back and the review. I suspected that dining and entertainment would open up later, around the 90 day out mark, so thanks for the confirmation. Sounds like you enjoyed Wonderland, which is one of the other 'Speciality' restaurants we are considering too, we have booked chef's table already.

 

Hopefully Beaniecrazed2 is able to post the compasses, that is if you don't mind? I have found it gives everyone a good indicator of when things are likely to be scheduled, so helps planning. Again thank you for your review Tom, look forward to hearing more.

 

I would definitely recommend Wonderland! Hopefully compasses will be posted to assist you plan!

[FirstCruise2331]

Were passengers allowed to board the ship without visas? We are on the Celebrity Constellation in January and I beginning to appreciate how difficult this process is!

 

Short answer is yes... this topic is reason its only an almost standing ovation! I will post full details when reviewing ports

[christi1805]

I have friends who were on this cruise and had NO Indian Visa at check-in in Dubai.

They said there were forms issued by RCCL that had to be signed for those with NO Indian visa, requiring them to stay onboard when sailing into Indian ports- and that was it.

So no Indian visa necessary when you stay onboard the ship?

[FirstCruise2331]

What a fantastic review. Thank you for your time spent doing this. Very excited for ours in Feb2017.

 

Glad you are enjoying it...finally getting to the next piece this evening.

[FirstCruise2331]

Ports

This wasn't your typical Caribbean or Med cruise. Due to the distance we were travelling there were a lot of sea days and some of the ports we called at we spent the night docked. Embarkation was Dubai and we didn't sail until day 2. We didn't do a lot in Dubai aside from having a stroll round the Mall of Emirates to kill time on boarding day.

 

Stop 1 - Oman

On Day 3 we docked in Muscat, Oman. FYI - this is a conservative Muslim country where (Im pretty sure) there is no alcohol. Also men are supposed to wear long pants and women are expected to have covered shoulders and no shorts or short dresses, etc. I had booked the afternoon tea excursion with RC. Its a pricey offering at $99 per person, but my DW loves afternoon tea and she has a big birthday coming up so why not! For those interested its an industrial port, so there were shuttles to the entrance. There didnt seem to be much around the port but there were taxis. We had a nice air conditioned coach and our guide was a local young man. It was a HOT day.

 

First stop was a museum of sorts but there wasn't much going on. For anyone with reduced mobility the museum isn't for you. There was a man on our tour with a wheelchair and we ended up lifting him in the wheelchair up the various steps. While I was more than happy to do this, RC really should be better at advertising this. Second stop was a sook (market) with loads of what I would call random useless things to buy! We didn't buy anything but had 30 mins to kill so went into a restaurant of sorts next door and, despite the fact afternoon tea was coming soon, we ordered a chicken kebab with pittas! Bit risky as hygiene didn't look great but we'd had our Hep A shots so risked it! It was delicious.

 

Afternoon Tea was in the Ritz. Its a very impressive building and lobby but the afternoon tea was served and laid out at tables for 8. Also, considering myself somewhat of a connoisseur of all things afternoon tea, I thought the offerings were mediocre, aside from the roast beef 'sandwich', which was delicious. While DW appreciated being able to now have a dinner party story of afternoon tea at the Ritz in Oman, we both agreed it was just ok!

[FirstCruise2331]

I have friends who were on this cruise and had NO Indian Visa at check-in in Dubai.

They said there were forms issued by RCCL that had to be signed for those with NO Indian visa, requiring them to stay onboard when sailing into Indian ports- and that was it.

So no Indian visa necessary when you stay onboard the ship?

 

Yes that it what happened for the approx 200 passengers who took the risk showing up in Dubai without a Visa.

[FirstCruise2331]

Stop 2 - Cochin (Kochi), Kerala India

 

It was three sea days in a row after Oman before we reached India. On one of these days we had to bring a form to Chic to have our passports temporarily returned to have it stamped by Indian Immigration (who were on board). This was yet another step in the long list of unnecesary bureaucracy that the Indian Government insist on. DW and I did the necessary and after queing I handed the agent our passports and forms. The guy was rude and obnoxious scowling and grunting at me asking which passport was mine... maybe the one with my picture???? I bit my tongue....

 

When we woke docked in Cochin port I looked out and thought the captain must have docked in the wrong place! We got off the ship with two others and had the idea of getting a taxi into the city. A bloke quoted us €20 which seemed reasonable. Meanwhile our friend changed money into rupees. When we were getting into this guy's 'taxi' I asked to confirm €20 as price and he said €20 per person! At that point I told him he was dreaming and we walked away. Also at this time the rainy season arrived ...torrential rain. We decided the best option was to get back on the ship!

 

I booked a RC trip for day 2 in port called 'Essential Cochin' thinking having gone through all the hassle of getting the visa and being there it would be shame not to see the place. We loaded up on the coach at 9am and drove out of the port. The initial drive was terrifying in that I was sure a tuk tuk was going to end up under our coach. The first part of the tour consisted of a drive around the 'old city'. There were a few shops and bazaars but mostly shacks. Severe poverty and over crowding. Our first stop was a Hindu temple where our local guide explained some of the basic premises of Hundu beliefs. We spent a lot of time then stuck in traffic heading to the 'new city'. Aside from a few new tall buildings, it looked very similar to the old city. We stopped for refreshments (soft drink or tea) before walking to the oldest christian church in India. Not particularly impressive but nice to see. We contined walking to the shoreline where we were shown the Chinese fishing nets (think tripods with nets). While there we were continually approached by locals trying to sell us things. I couldn't wait to get back to the ship.

 

So India - RC gets a lot of negative points for this -

(1) Why dock in a place where there is so much hassle for passengers getting visas?

(2) Why spend two days in a place where there is literally nothing to see?

(3) Why tell me I had to get a Visa or I'd be refused boarding in Dubai when in the a few hundred others were allowed board by signing a

Waiver? Having researched Cochin and how much of a pain in the back side it was going to be to get a visa, I would have taken this option but the seven emails warning me meant I towed the line.

(4) Why sell 'special' two day visas to gullible passengers who didnt have a visa when boarding for $200?

 

The only conclusion in answering the above is RC were given reduced / no docking fees as Indian Govt were happy with revenue from visas and tours. The day after in the Solarium the lady beside me was complaining to an officer having fallen into category 4 above, ie no one told her she could sign a waiver even in Dubai and they sold her the temporary visa. I took the opportunity to tell the officer I was having a winderful cruise, crew were great but I didnt like being lied to about Cochin. He said he would feed this back to head office, etc. and said they gad fallen down on comunication. I asked why such a place with nothing to see was given two days and he said it was considered exotic'....

 

Since Anthem did the exact same itinary last year RC could have offered people choice to not get visa.

 

Anyway so ends my rant..will cover Penang next.

[eel]

Stop 2 - Cochin (Kochi), Kerala India

 

It was three sea days in a row after Oman before we reached India. On one of these days we had to bring a form to Chic to have our passports temporarily returned to have it stamped by Indian Immigration (who were on board). This was yet another step in the long list of unnecesary bureaucracy that the Indian Government insist on. DW and I did the necessary and after queing I handed the agent our passports and forms. The guy was rude and obnoxious scowling and grunting at me asking which passport was mine... maybe the one with my picture???? I bit my tongue....

 

When we woke docked in Cochin port I looked out and thought the captain must have docked in the wrong place! We got off the ship with two others and had the idea of getting a taxi into the city. A bloke quoted us €20 which seemed reasonable. Meanwhile our friend changed money into rupees. When we were getting into this guy's 'taxi' I asked to confirm €20 as price and he said €20 per person! At that point I told him he was dreaming and we walked away. Also at this time the rainy season arrived ...torrential rain. We decided the best option was to get back on the ship!

 

I booked a RC trip for day 2 in port called 'Essential Cochin' thinking having gone through all the hassle of getting the visa and being there it would be shame not to see the place. We loaded up on the coach at 9am and drove out of the port. The initial drive was terrifying in that I was sure a tuk tuk was going to end up under our coach. The first part of the tour consisted of a drive around the 'old city'. There were a few shops and bazaars but mostly shacks. Severe poverty and over crowding. Our first stop was a Hindu temple where our local guide explained some of the basic premises of Hundu beliefs. We spent a lot of time then stuck in traffic heading to the 'new city'. Aside from a few new tall buildings, it looked very similar to the old city. We stopped for refreshments (soft drink or tea) before walking to the oldest christian church in India. Not particularly impressive but nice to see. We contined walking to the shoreline where we were shown the Chinese fishing nets (think tripods with nets). While there we were continually approached by locals trying to sell us things. I couldn't wait to get back to the ship.

 

So India - RC gets a lot of negative points for this -

(1) Why dock in a place where there is so much hassle for passengers getting visas?

(2) Why spend two days in a place where there is literally nothing to see?

(3) Why tell me I had to get a Visa or I'd be refused boarding in Dubai when in the a few hundred others were allowed board by signing a

Waiver? Having researched Cochin and how much of a pain in the back side it was going to be to get a visa, I would have taken this option but the seven emails warning me meant I towed the line.

(4) Why sell 'special' two day visas to gullible passengers who didnt have a visa when boarding for $200?

 

The only conclusion in answering the above is RC were given reduced / no docking fees as Indian Govt were happy with revenue from visas and tours. The day after in the Solarium the lady beside me was complaining to an officer having fallen into category 4 above, ie no one told her she could sign a waiver even in Dubai and they sold her the temporary visa. I took the opportunity to tell the officer I was having a winderful cruise, crew were great but I didnt like being lied to about Cochin. He said he would feed this back to head office, etc. and said they gad fallen down on comunication. I asked why such a place with nothing to see was given two days and he said it was considered exotic'....

 

Since Anthem did the exact same itinary last year RC could have offered people choice to not get visa.

 

Anyway so ends my rant..will cover Penang next.

 

We were on your sailing and had a better time in Cochin although I agree it was not what I would call a "highlight" stop. Not really worth the $300+ we spent getting our India Visas. We got a 10 year visa (US citizens) and we probably won't go back unless we take a cruise that stops there or decide to make a side trip to the Taj Mahal one day.

 

We were lucky enough to do tours both days with Muziris Heritage Day Tours (run by Lijo Jose). The first day was a Cochin City tour that included a performance of native Indian dancing that was quite interesting. The second day was a a houseboat tour through the backwaters which was beautiful and very relaxing. We found out about these through the roll call. There were quite a few of us that went on both of these tours and the vehicles were small vans with about 10-12 people in each.

 

I agree it was uncool that Royal Caribbean did everything they could to convince people that they would be denied boarding if we did not have an Indian Visa. Then when people showed up without one they just said, "here sign this waiver" and everything was fine. We would have probably still gotten the visas if we were given the option not to. India was on the bucket list but now it is definitely crossed off!

[FirstCruise2331]

We were on your sailing and had a better time in Cochin although I agree it was not what I would call a "highlight" stop. Not really worth the $300+ we spent getting our India Visas. We got a 10 year visa (US citizens) and we probably won't go back unless we take a cruise that stops there or decide to make a side trip to the Taj Mahal one day.

 

We were lucky enough to do tours both days with Muziris Heritage Day Tours (run by Lijo Jose). The first day was a Cochin City tour that included a performance of native Indian dancing that was quite interesting. The second day was a a houseboat tour through the backwaters which was beautiful and very relaxing. We found out about these through the roll call. There were quite a few of us that went on both of these tours and the vehicles were small vans with about 10-12 people in each.

 

I agree it was uncool that Royal Caribbean did everything they could to convince people that they would be denied boarding if we did not have an Indian Visa. Then when people showed up without one they just said, "here sign this waiver" and everything was fine. We would have probably still gotten the visas if we were given the option not to. India was on the bucket list but now it is definitely crossed off!

 

Glad you had a better time than me! I thought about Lijo but backwater tour didnt appeal and on day one we planned to do our own thing.

 

Our visas were only 12 months but even if 12 years I wouldn't be returning!

[beachump]

The same thing that happened to me on my last three cruises that passed thru India, I just signed an "India Visa Waiver" stating I would remain on board while in port.

[cruiserinsg]

We were on your sailing and had a better time in Cochin although I agree it was not what I would call a "highlight" stop. Not really worth the $300+ we spent getting our India Visas. We got a 10 year visa (US citizens) and we probably won't go back unless we take a cruise that stops there or decide to make a side trip to the Taj Mahal one day.

 

We were lucky enough to do tours both days with Muziris Heritage Day Tours (run by Lijo Jose). The first day was a Cochin City tour that included a performance of native Indian dancing that was quite interesting. The second day was a a houseboat tour through the backwaters which was beautiful and very relaxing. We found out about these through the roll call. There were quite a few of us that went on both of these tours and the vehicles were small vans with about 10-12 people in each.

 

I agree it was uncool that Royal Caribbean did everything they could to convince people that they would be denied boarding if we did not have an Indian Visa. Then when people showed up without one they just said, "here sign this waiver" and everything was fine. We would have probably still gotten the visas if we were given the option not to. India was on the bucket list but now it is definitely crossed off!

 

Glad you had a better time than me! I thought about Lijo but backwater tour didnt appeal and on day one we planned to do our own thing.

 

Our visas were only 12 months but even if 12 years I wouldn't be returning!

 

We took Lijo too. Agreed with both, India was our first and last. If ever we sail by there again, will stay on board.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[westcoasttech]

Just wanted to say thank you for the review. I was booked on this same sailing but had to cancel for various reasons - so living it vicariously through your review. (Also I was on the Quantum for the Barcelona to Dubai leg last year, and after experiencing the heat of Dubai in late May had second thoughts about trying India in June!)

 

I agree that Wonderland is very good, one of the best meals I've had on a cruise ship, but it's best experienced with a group so you have an excuse to try one of everything!

 

I'm sad to hear that the menu at Silk has not improved - I experienced probably one of the worst curries there last year - think frozen readi-meal! Which is a real shame considering I've had wonderful curries on cruises where they let the Indian cooks just do their own thing, I can only presume that they are following a "corporate" provided recipe to enforce consistency (i.e., consistently bad!)

 

It seems that the same misinformation was being provided this year as last year - I met a lot of people doing B2B(2B) on the Quantum and IIRC they were also told that you HAD to have an Indian visa, but then others had the option to purchase a visa on board or sign a waiver.

 

I had a thought that trips to the Taj Mahal were possible from Cochin (albeit with a long bus ride), hence the overnight there during the reposition, but as I ended up cancelling my booking, I never investigated this further, so could definitely be wrong on that.

[anandaindonesia]

Kochin is VERY FAR from Taj Mahal (and from everywhere in India). You need to fly to Delhi (3 hours one way) then drive to Agra (at least 3 hours one way) to see the Taj.

Forget the bus ride. By the time you see Taj, all your cruise-mates will have been disembarked. 😀

Edited July 4, 2016 by anandaindonesia

[FirstCruise2331]

Thanks for the review.

 

You're welcome. Apologies for delay in next bit..been busy!

[FirstCruise2331]

Just wanted to say thank you for the review. I was booked on this same sailing but had to cancel for various reasons - so living it vicariously through your review. (Also I was on the Quantum for the Barcelona to Dubai leg last year, and after experiencing the heat of Dubai in late May had second thoughts about trying India in June!)

 

I agree that Wonderland is very good, one of the best meals I've had on a cruise ship, but it's best experienced with a group so you have an excuse to try one of everything!

 

I'm sad to hear that the menu at Silk has not improved - I experienced probably one of the worst curries there last year - think frozen readi-meal! Which is a real shame considering I've had wonderful curries on cruises where they let the Indian cooks just do their own thing, I can only presume that they are following a "corporate" provided recipe to enforce consistency (i.e., consistently bad!)

 

It seems that the same misinformation was being provided this year as last year - I met a lot of people doing B2B(2B) on the Quantum and IIRC they were also told that you HAD to have an Indian visa, but then others had the option to purchase a visa on board or sign a waiver.

 

I had a thought that trips to the Taj Mahal were possible from Cochin (albeit with a long bus ride), hence the overnight there during the reposition, but as I ended up cancelling my booking, I never investigated this further, so could definitely be wrong on that.

 

It was very very hot the whole cruise! Glad you're enjoying..back to reviewing now...

[FirstCruise2331]

Penang

After 4 sea days we arrived in Penang. I had booked us on the Temples and Hill RC tour. Our tour guide was a local lady. The bus took us to Kek Lok Si Temple. I should say the heat was stiffling - humidity running at 80%.

 

The walk up to the Temples involves a lot of steps. You stop half way up to see the first set of temples. Its all very beautiful. The last bit you take a cable car type vehicle on tracks. The main statue is impressive and lovely views of Penang from up there. Those of us who are polite were back at bus on time...some decided 25 mins late was ok....

 

Onwards to Penang Hill which is a big tourist attraction. Our guide got us tickets for the 'express queue' for the steep carriage climb. This turned out must have been an ironic description. We waited for 60 mins in line while those in the non express line seemed to be moving quicker! By the time we got up we had 20 mins before having to join the queue to come back down. We barely had time to eat (it had been a while since breakfast). There's hawker stalls up the hill and we got a plate of noodles and nasi goreng which cost local currency equivalent of about $1.50 and delicious. Quickly back down to the bus and back on board.

 

We only were in port 9-3..what a shame as Penang was beautiful and I would love to have had an overnight there.

 

Lots of people complained about the queue at Penang Hill and looked for a refund from Guest Services..I don't know if they suceeded. I would have liked more time up Penang Hill but I still really enjoyed the tour.

 

Next up (not too long away) .. Daytime Activities!