lighthousemom

Since I'm a US citizen, I'd obviously like to take advantage of their pricing structure. I hear Australians pay a lot more than we do. But I just called RCI in the States, and they are supposedly not opening these cruises for sale until AUGUST!! By then all the good cabins will be gone. What to do, what to do.... Any brilliant ideas?

My Australian TA sent me the 26 page Release and the Ovation prices were on p25.

 

Cheers

Di

 

Just out of curiosity, what's the price for a Sky Loft for the Sydney to Singapore cruise?

[quote name='badgerbill']I'm guessing the other cruises will be on offer hmmmmmm around 0900 on 18th June:D:D:D[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the heads up.... I guess that means I need to stay up late that night as 0900 your time is 0200 here in Istanbul. The things I do to fulfill my obsession... :D

Sue, thanks so much for your valuable info. We appreciate it so much!

Thanks for the info about Dublin. I guess there is simply no way to plan ahead for it. Wow.

Princess option is a $16 shuttle,

 

The tram is a good walk from the current dock never used it.

http://www.luas.ie/

 

I am so confused about Dublin! Is this $16 shuttle from right off the ship in Dublin or after the tenders in Dun Laoghaire? And where does it drop you off? Do you get tickets for it ahead of time? :confused:

 

Thanks!

I failed to look at your location and didn't realize you were living in Istanbul. Very cool! We were there a couple of years ago and enjoyed it immensely.

 

I have to admit, the allure of sailing the Black Sea was diminished somewhat by the cancelation of Yalta as a port of call. Perhaps things will normalize in a year or two.

 

A house overlooking the Bosphorus...not bad!:)

 

There still are some scheduled cruises into the Black Sea, but not as many as before. It is amazing that you can watch the ships from your house!

 

This photo was taken last May from my balcony.... Costa, but not sure of the ship. The Emerald Princess is due to go by on June 23 and June 27, but I don't know if I'll be home when it passes by.

 

It looks like they have decided against the shorter sailings from Barcelona in May 2016 and are now adding a sailing from London as the current first sailing for Harmony.

 

The Vigo and Malaga stops had been mentioned in Spanish press in March.

 

Harmony Of The Seas Depart: 06:00 PM 05/29/2016 London, Southampton, England

Harmony Of The Seas 05/30/2016 At Sea

Harmony Of The Seas 05/31/2016 At Sea

Harmony Of The Seas 07:00 AM - 05:00 PM 06/01/2016 Vigo, Spain

Harmony Of The Seas 06/02/2016 At Sea

Harmony Of The Seas 08:00 AM - 06:00 PM 06/03/2016 Malaga, Granada, Spain

Harmony Of The Seas 06/04/2016 At Sea

Harmony Of The Seas Arrive: 05:00 AM 06/05/2016 Barcelona, Spain

 

It's not up on the US site....

Stalkers welcomed!:) No cruises planned as of right now. We tend to book cruises around 60 days out in order to get the discount price - so our next cruise will probably be in the fall. We would like to do a cruise to the Black Sea, or perhaps a California coastal - down Mexico way.

 

I heard a lot of cruises to the Black Sea were cancelled due to the Ukraine crisis, I don't know if they have picked back up yet. I haven't seen any cruise ships sailing up the Bosphorus past my house recently either.....

 

I (and everyone else here on CC) look forward to your next review!

Thanks for the comment.:) No plans to try a career change to stand-up comedy, although Jill is daring me to try it at the next passenger talent show.:eek:

 

Curious minds want to know: what upcoming cruises do you have planned? I have just spent the last hour reading some of your reviews, and you are one funny man! Would love to be on a cruise and actually live through some of your experiences and then read about it from your view! I'm not stalking you, of course.....:eek:

So did we. One of the biggest disappointments we've had. I guess that I was expecting way too much. Ever since I was a kid I've always wanted to see Tahiti. It wasn't what I thought at all.

 

Oh no! It's on my bucket list.....

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/272940/negotiations-over-giant-cruise-ship-berth

 

Oh dear..."Cruise New Zealand also warned that, without Auckland as the main changeover stop for passengers, the ship would probably also drop four other New Zealand port visits".

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/272940/negotiations-over-giant-cruise-ship-berth

 

Oh dear..."Cruise New Zealand also warned that, without Auckland as the main changeover stop for passengers, the ship would probably also drop four other New Zealand port visits".

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/272940/negotiations-over-giant-cruise-ship-berth

 

Oh dear..."Cruise New Zealand also warned that, without Auckland as the main changeover stop for passengers, the ship would probably also drop four other New Zealand port visits".

I'm hyperventilating with excitement! Hmmm, Panama Canal or Hawaii?:D

From the web:

 

A planned visit of what would have been the biggest cruise liner to ever visit New Zealand has been canned, following yesterday's compromise by Ports of Auckland.

 

After a months-long stoush, Auckland Council yesterday announced an agreement with Ports of Auckland to proceed with only one of two planned wharf expansions at Bledisloe Wharf - the eastern B2 wharf - and to commit to having it removed if the forthcoming Port Future Study found it to be redundant.

 

The decision means the 'Ovation of the Seas' cruise ship will not be able to visit Auckland as planned next year.

 

The ship would have been the largest ever to visit New Zealand, at a length of 348m and a maximum capacity of 4900 passengers and 1300 crew.

 

"Ports of Auckland has advised that due to the change in its development plans, it will not now be able to accommodate the Ovation of the Seas," Cruise New Zealand chairman Kevin O'Sullivan said.

 

Link to complete article:

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/mammoth-cruise-liner-turned-away-after-ports-auckland-compromise-6305476

OPT = Overseas passenger terminal, the dock at Circular Quay

 

famile = familiarisation tour of the ship.

 

Thanks! I'm still new to all this.... :o

What is OPT? What is a famile?

Sydney ports has been updated today and is now listing Ovation of the Seas as follows:

15th December arrival 10:00 depart 16th December 6:30pm

then 30th December, 9th January, and finally 23rd January.

 

Melbourne Ports is showing Ovation of the Seas in port on the following dates:

13th, 18th December 2016 and 11th January 2017

 

Hmmm, wonder what she's doing from 11-23 January? Any clue when she next shows up in Shanghai?

Cruiseco is doing a charter for the inaugural Singapore to Sydney 15 night in November 2016. No details on itineraries.....

So it looks like Ovation has been chartered by Cruiseco for the inaugural Singapore to Sydney sailing in November 2016. 15 nights.... No details on itineraries. I guess I'll have to wait to do the Sydney to Singapore return since I'm just getting off Harmony in November!

Looks like Ovation's inaugural Australia cruise will be a private charter by Cruiseco. Singapore to Sydney, 15 days in November 2016. No specific info on itineraries.

Ovation will be a private charter from Cruisco in November 2016. 15 days Singapore to Sydney. Full details aren't available yet, but that much info is available. Don't know about the remaining dates.

Koningsdam's itinerary through March 2017 is available on her website. Caribbean 2016-17 booking for her opens in a week or two.

 

I hope you're right! I want to book the November 9 4-night Caribbean.... :cool:

Schedule from the HAL blog. At the bottom they say open for booking in April.

 

http://www.hollandamericablog.com/2015/04/06/koningsdam-to-explore-the-caribbean-on-diverse-cruises-in-2016-2017/

 

Roy

 

Interesting, I just got done chatting with a HAL agent who said, "Since the Koningsdam is committed to Europe until October of 2016 when she transits over to the Caribbean, we most likely won't have that itinerary available until we release our 2016-2017 Cruise Atlas, which will be this fall, most likely in September or October."

 

Now I will be obsessively checking from now until October! :mad: