banzaii Posted September 18, 2017 #1 Share Posted September 18, 2017 Hi all We are really keen to look at a Honolulu to Sydney via Bora Bora repositioning cruise in late 2019. We definitely want to sail to Oz so we can take advantage of the shopping in Hawaii and the generous luggage alliwances when cruising. I know these are extremely popular but wanted my fellow cruisers advice on the following: 1. When do the various cruise lines release their itineraries for these sailings? 2. Any advice regarding which lines/ships to avoid? Does anyone have inside knowledge on RC Radiance OS if it might be replaced by then? 3. Which is the best place to book, direct with the cruise line, local TA, US based TA? 4. We have cruised Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji and NZ. Are there other not to be missed on any of these itineraries beside Bora Bora that are recommended? Any assistance and advices gratefully received. Cheers Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocean Dancer Posted September 18, 2017 #2 Share Posted September 18, 2017 That schedule should come out in early spring of 2018. We booked the Explorer apr 2019 on opening day, see signature turning it into a B2B2B. If you are interested in Radiance, check our her roll calls, past and current to get a good idea. Have fun planning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hogbay Posted September 19, 2017 #3 Share Posted September 19, 2017 The explorer of the seas would not be a good idea as it dose not go to Bora bora :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted September 19, 2017 #4 Share Posted September 19, 2017 The Solstice does that itinerary that picks up both Bora Bora and Moorea (both tender ports). Royal and X have some reciprocal rights on their loyalty programs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banzaii Posted September 20, 2017 Author #5 Share Posted September 20, 2017 Has anyone done the Carnival TP? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter69 Posted September 20, 2017 #6 Share Posted September 20, 2017 Yes; on the legend; Went in other direction. Instead of going to New Zealand, Carnival goes to Fuji & New Caledonia. Was a fantastic cruise. Bora bora, Moreaa & Tahati are incredible.. The cruise leaves Hawaii usually about the 22nd of September & is 19 days. It's a slightly newer ship then the 2 RCCL. Oh the other thing is if you have gold status with Carnival you get to go to the famous cocktail party. You will have American comedians for the first 5 days of the cruise. Hope you enjoy!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2016USAHoliday Posted September 22, 2017 #7 Share Posted September 22, 2017 Has anyone done the Carnival TP? We did it this time last year. Had a great time and would love to do it again! It was a great way to wind down after spending the last 90 days travelling through the US. We booked an obstructed ocean view room and was offered an upsell of $50/person to an extended balcony! Loved the 5 ports (even though we had been to Noumea many times before) but I think they have now added on Maui. Being a "journey" cruise Carnival do many different activities than normal; midnight buffet, crossing the equator ceremony, Polynesian arts&crafts, ukelle lessons, throwback sea day(ship goes back to the 80s). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banzaii Posted September 23, 2017 Author #8 Share Posted September 23, 2017 The explorer of the seas would not be a good idea as it dose not go to Bora bora :confused: Love the Explorer OS but itinerary rules it out. Nothing against Radiance OS and it has the right itinerary but may not have the onboard activities to keep our 2 teenage boys occupied after the novelty of the pool table wears off. Sort of hoping it will be redeployed for the 2019 TP and replaced with a newer ship. Not really loyal to any particular line so it might come down to 3 main factors: itinerary (Bora Bora); onboard activities (adrenaline stuff + slides, wave rider etc); and how far out I can book to make sure we get what we want. Still seeking clues on the latter. When we were on Explorer in April, the 2018 TP itineraries were supposed to be on sale, then it was announced that it was going to released the week after our cruise (which was TP Sydney to Seattle so we organised our Aunt to book). In reality, it didn't happen until after that cruise in late May. This took away our opportunity to use next cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banzaii Posted September 23, 2017 Author #9 Share Posted September 23, 2017 Yes; on the legend; Went in other direction. Instead of going to New Zealand, Carnival goes to Fuji & New Caledonia. Was a fantastic cruise. Bora bora, Moreaa & Tahati are incredible.. The cruise leaves Hawaii usually about the 22nd of September & is 19 days. It's a slightly newer ship then the 2 RCCL. Oh the other thing is if you have gold status with Carnival you get to go to the famous cocktail party. You will have American comedians for the first 5 days of the cruise. Hope you enjoy!! Legend sounds great. Have done Vanuatu and NC and NZ so it's really about the Tahitian group. How far out did you book on Legend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banzaii Posted September 23, 2017 Author #10 Share Posted September 23, 2017 Being a "journey" cruise Carnival do many different activities than normal; midnight buffet, crossing the equator ceremony, Polynesian arts&crafts, ukelle lessons, throwback sea day(ship goes back to the 80s). This sounds so good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banzaii Posted September 23, 2017 Author #11 Share Posted September 23, 2017 The Solstice does that itinerary that picks up both Bora Bora and Moorea (both tender ports). Royal and X have some reciprocal rights on their loyalty programs. Hey Mic. I am Mick from Canberra too. I don't know much about celebrity but will look it up thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted September 23, 2017 #12 Share Posted September 23, 2017 Hey Mic. I am Mick from Canberra too.I don't know much about celebrity but will look it up thanks. You should join our meet ups at the Southern Cross Yacht club every other month, lots of great people to meet and discuss cruise issues and such. Search for a 'ACT Cruisers' group and ask to join on the media site - ;Face...'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banzaii Posted October 3, 2017 Author #13 Share Posted October 3, 2017 You should join our meet ups at the Southern Cross Yacht club every other month, lots of great people to meet and discuss cruise issues and such. Search for a 'ACT Cruisers' group and ask to join on the media site - ;Face...'. Don't do the stalk book thing. Is the 'ACT Cruisers' on here or there? Searches come up empty here. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banzaii Posted October 22, 2017 Author #14 Share Posted October 22, 2017 Hi allWe are really keen to look at a Honolulu to Sydney via Bora Bora repositioning cruise in late 2019. We definitely want to sail to Oz so we can take advantage of the shopping in Hawaii and the generous luggage alliwances when cruising. I know these are extremely popular but wanted my fellow cruisers advice on the following: 1. When do the various cruise lines release their itineraries for these sailings? 2. Any advice regarding which lines/ships to avoid? Does anyone have inside knowledge on RC Radiance OS if it might be replaced by then? 3. Which is the best place to book, direct with the cruise line, local TA, US based TA? 4. We have cruised Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji and NZ. Are there other not to be missed on any of these itineraries beside Bora Bora that are recommended? Any assistance and advices gratefully received. Cheers Mick Apreciate those who have taken the time to respond. Still seeking answers to most of these questions. [emoji56] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter69 Posted October 22, 2017 #15 Share Posted October 22, 2017 Legend sounds great. Have done Vanuatu and NC and NZ so it's really about the Tahitian group. How far out did you book on Legend? I was lucky; it was Carnival legends 2nd trans-pacific. picked up tickets in late Jan 15 for late April 15 departure. Got the tickets through carnivals famous 72 hour sales. So paid just under $1500 for a balcony. Lol. Had the best time on any cruise. hardly any kids. great infomation speeches & entertainment. It usual goes for about $2500 now. I thought about doing it again, but decided to sail from Singapour to Sydney instead next year.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banzaii Posted October 23, 2017 Author #16 Share Posted October 23, 2017 I was lucky; it was Carnival legends 2nd trans-pacific. picked up tickets in late Jan 15 for late April 15 departure. Got the tickets through carnivals famous 72 hour sales. So paid just under $1500 for a balcony. Lol. Had the best time on any cruise. hardly any kids. great infomation speeches & entertainment.It usual goes for about $2500 now. I thought about doing it again, but decided to sail from Singapour to Sydney instead next year.. I've discovered that timing is everything unless you believe in fairies. Not saying I don't but would rather leave most what ifs out of the equation. Especially for TransPac. $1500 is almost ridiculous but gives me hope of a great deal! [emoji1] Does anyone know when the Sept / Oct 2019 itineraries for Carnival are released? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare gogo65 Posted October 23, 2017 #17 Share Posted October 23, 2017 I'd pick radiance or solstice over carnival, both are much nicer ships. Having to be on a ship for 18-19 days It needs to look nice. Carnival ships are down right dark and ugly.:o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banzaii Posted October 24, 2017 Author #18 Share Posted October 24, 2017 I'd pick radiance or solstice over carnival, both are much nicer ships.Having to be on a ship for 18-19 days It needs to look nice. Carnival ships are down right dark and ugly.:o Have cruised RC but not Radiance. I have 2 teen boys who love flowrider etc but may get a little stir crazy with all the sea days on Radiance. Not sure how long the novelty of the pool table will last. Dont know much about Solstice yet but we are on Carnival Spirit next year so will definitely keep an open mind until then. NCL itinerary skips Bora Bora at this point so not ideal. A lot can happen in 2 years maybe one of the lines will bring out an extra ship, rearrange itineraries or seap out an older ship with a newer one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now