MAS2017

Perhaps not, still I think that will be little consolation to the kids not having their mother. So ad for them, my heart goes out to those kids, especially if they witnessed it as well.

Very sad. My heart also goes out to anyone who may have witnessed it. Any person who might have witnessed it, especially children could be traumatised for a very long time.

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Which country are you in?

If you’re in Australia, I normally buy my travel insurance through virgin money as you buy your normal travel insurance (select the countries for land etc) and then you add a cruise pack - which covers your whole cruise/ports etc.

Received an email from RCCL telling me that the website is now fully functional. This is true but it seems to be missing features that the old system had such as selecting cabin set up and dining preferences. I consider these essential features as I do not want to call RCCL and wait ages to change these items. Am I missing something?

 

 

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Completely agree - you can’t even cancel the cruise now.

Things I consider essential that used to be on the website that I now have to call for:

- ability to change cabin

- link bookings

- manage other family members cabins on my login

- bed preferences

- celebrations

- cancellations

Simple things, but was great having access to do it.

Anytime I’ve called it’s been a very long wait and it’s usually been a disaster, in saying that I called the other night to switch cabins and it was a few minute wait and they were able to do it quickly without problems so hopefully that’s a sign it’s improved.

My biggest annoyance about the site is not being able to manage other family members accounts. I have family that don’t use the internet and wouldn’t know what to do, so I’ve always booked their cabins on my accounts and managed it. Because of the new system I had to create 6 new email addresses to set up 6 new accounts (can use an email already associated with another account) all just so I can log in and manage it for them.

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They’ve called off the search and have been unable to locate her. Ship now continuing to Brisbane. All very sad

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I have the very same problem as you! Several months ago,I booked 7 rooms for DH and I, and for our family and friends cruising to Cuba this October. I have been managing all of them myself on-line. Now, I can only get into my own reservation and none of the others!:mad: I just hope that all of their bookings are okay, since I cannot see them anymore and, like you said, some of them do not have RCCL accounts! Final payments are due by August, so I guess I'll just have each of them call RCI to make payments over the phone. After final payments are made (hopefully, with no problems), I'll call a rep and ask that they all be linked together for our first seating in the MDR. That's my plan; just hope it works!:eek:

Found kind of a solution, if you go to the RCI webpage and click “Already Booked” and then click “make a payment” you can just enter the cruise details and booking ref (without having to log in) and it will show you the remaining balance and you can make payments to it.

If you want to see their booking (not that you can see much on the new system) you have to create an account for each cabin that you’re not in. Very annoying.

I also wanted to switch cabin yesterday - used to be able to just log in and do it. Can’t change or update anything anymore. There’s not even an option to cancel the cruise - not that I’d want to lol.

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You can probably call RC directly to link the bookings.

Yea that's the plan and closer to the date request a large table etc, but it was nice just being able to do the little things online, anytime I've ever had to call them it's been a disaster and a long wait on the phone.

We booked Hawaii to Sydney today as well, the next cruise people can’t get the Vancouver to Hawaii to come up properly. I hope it sorts itself out so that I can try to get the same suite for both.

See you in 2019!

A friend coming with us booked through his TA who told him they don't yet have the details for the Vancouver to Hawaii as he also want's to book that. The Royal website also doesn't show it at all. Hopefully it will appear in the next few days and you can nab the same suite.

Also noticed that the Hawaii to Sydney one stays in Honolulu for the first two days, wonder if that will change to Lahaina for the second day further down the line like usual.

The new site is terrible - I would always book cruises all on my account for several of us, partner and I in one room, other family members in another room etc.

I booked 5 staterooms today but my account will only show one (the room I'm in), the room my Mum is in, the room my partners sister is in etc wont show and I cannot add as I can only add a room with my name to my account (even though I've booked through my account and always managed my families bookings). I now have to create individual accounts and login's for each family member, some who don't even use the internet.

I also can no longer link bookings (so we will sit together at dining) and cannot select simple things like bed preference (together or apart).

I prefer the old site, this is just awful.

Okay. So managed to get online at 8.30am to see new cruises and booked a panoramic oceanview on Voyager for 18/3/2020. It was quite annoying though that the number of cabins at any category available were very few and between. Do RCL just hold some back or are they picked up by TA?

 

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I was on at 6:00am and found the same, when I looked each deck had maybe 2 or 4 left.

Surely they couldn’t all be gone so I just assumed that RCL hold some back until the “launch/sale” ones are done and the TA’s get to block a bunch out?

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See you on the ship!

 

 

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Someone needs to start a roll call! So excited now. See you there!

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Just booked the transpacific Sept 2019 from Honolulu to Sydney.

Travel agent said it wouldn’t go on sale until 10am Australian time, but I had a peek at 6am today and lucky I did. Grabbed 5 cabins and there were some big savings, each of us got over $200 off per person for crown and anchor savings, then each person got $1,200 off in savings.

It didn’t seem like many cabins were left but I’m assuming that’s just because some are blocked out by TA’s or not released yet?

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They’re getting a refund for the cruise plus an FCC. The cruise refund should cover accommodation. They may be out some money depending on what they do but she said they were Americans so they’re getting a 30% currency discount too.

All well and good, but consider the refunds from Royal can take several weeks. People will still be out of pocket while here in Australia if they're waiting for their refund or travel insurance.

So who is replacing voyager and explorer?

No idea yet.

Explorer will be back in Australia this fall 2018 for the season, It will then leave Australia - doing a 46 night B2B2B2B from Sydney to Europe.

Voyager leaves soon and still no word on a replacement, there have been rumours of a Freedom Class but I haven't seen anything to back that up.

Voyager and Explorer are still listed in the port schedule even though it won't be doing Australia at that time, so I assume they're keeping the slot for another ship. Hopefully all will be revealed when they release the Australia sailings from April 2019 on wards which should be in the next week or two.

Ovation does not show up on the Sydney schedule until November 10th. Since it is only running Alaska cruises until September 20th there is plenty of time to do a few west cost cruises just like Explorer is doing this year before heading down there.

Ovation shows up on the Sydney schedule on October 20 2019. I've attached a screen shot of the schedule - not sure if it works.

Finishing in Alaska 20 Sept, then 11 day Hawaii Cruise brings it to about 1 October, which is just in time for the 18 day cruise back to Sydney (crossing the international date line they'll get there 19 days later on the 20th.

After Alaska 2019 it heads back to Australia. Ovation will do an 11 night cruise to Hawaii (including the Hawaiian islands). It will then sail from Honolulu to Sydney via French Polynesia, arriving in Sydney on 20 October 2019 and will do it's Australia/New Zealand season until the following April.

How do I know this? Just look at the cruise ship schedule for each of the ports, Honolulu, Sydney etc.

Should go on sale in another week or two.

I’m on board now and this is what they have. It’s fantastic.

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I’ve read online that it does have the outdoor screen after the dry dock. I’ll find out Sunday when I board :-)

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One reason for the increase could be the regions they now target.

When I was booking my last cruise on board the member commented to me as she had seen I’m 33 and reached diamond in less than two years.

She explained that a lot of Australians and Europeans are now reaching diamond quicker as we get better leave benefits than Americans.

A lot of Americans only get 10 days paid vacation per year. In Australia and Europe the standard is 4-5 weeks paid vacation (law is everyone gets at least 4 weeks per year) and in my job I get two months paid vacation per year. Everyone gets this from day one in the job, where as I believe Americans do get more but over time (correct me if I’m wrong).

She said because of this, plus the fact it’s expensive to fly to anywhere from Australia the cruising market has just boomed with a lot of Aussies booking more than one cruise a year and long ones such as 11 day round trip South Pacific Islands, New Zealand etc and the 2 week plus repositioning cruises.

As Australia is a relatively new market (only started in the last 10 years) more and more customers now reach diamond quicker and more regularly than before.

I’m not sure what the big deal on the status is though, I’ve only used it to get in the quicker line when embarking yet to visit the diamond lounge.

Since most of you posting are familiar with this area, what will the weather be like in early to mid April? We'd like to snorkel and have a few beach days in OZ and NZ, but I checked the average day temps and it is between 60 and 70.:cool::*:loudcry::eek:

Having done the TP a few times and the Radiance one last year, the weather here in Australia at that time of year is nice, there's not really anywhere in Sydney you'd go snorkelling (if you want to see reef or lots of fish you need Queensland), but plenty of beaches in Sydney.

The trip from Sydney to New Zealand gets colder, and New Zealand was bloody freezing when we got there (Picton and Wellington), cold and windy, and then the sea days out of there to head up again are cold most of the way... once you get up and closer to French Polynesia it gets hot and stays that way for the rest of the cruise. The snorkelling in French Polynesia is just amazing.

When I first did this TP a few years ago it didn't stop in NZ and instead went via Fiji and French Polynesia, and the next year went via Samoa and American Samoa. Which was great as from start to finish it was just hot. I've I idea why they added New Zealand as it's just cold on the way there, cold there and then cold getting out of there. It's what put me off booking it this time, want to do Bora Bora again but not NZ.

The Explorer TP should be hot most of the way as it head north straight away and should stay hot until it starts heading from Hawaii to Seattle and gets a big cooler.

Oh, for anyone booking the Explorer the price just dropped $500 on the Australian site.

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The Australia site will include gratuities into the base price where the US site will not (optional to add online or otherwise billed daily onboard). Is that the difference you are seeing?

 

Sorry - can't help with why Aussie site isn't allowing bookings!

 

 

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Nope that's not the difference, I go through all the way to the end (once all taxes and gratuities are added) and the US site is still cheaper. I've put a cabin on 24hr hold on the US site and will see if the Australian site is fixed tomorrow.

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Trying to make an Ovation booking and it won't let me select balcony cabins. Other people raised this already on the RCCI Facebook. There's note on the site saying to call if u want a balcony (not doing that as too long on hold and anytime I've booked via phone it's been a disaster).

I've gone to the offical RCCI USA website, the U.K one and German one. I progress through the booking and all them let me select balcony.

No idea what the issue is with the Australian site.

Now, my question is. The US site and German site are much cheaper, UK one is a lot more expensive.

If I book through the US or German site, will this cause me problems later?

It's no giving me the deal and discount we have going out in Australia but still works out the same due to the cheaper prices.

Failing that, I'll just wait until they just fix the Australian site.

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What idiot intern created this flyer and why wasn't it proof read?

 

 

 

Zealand is spelled wrong twice (Feb 2 and March 8) - including right next to the correct spelling and for the second to last sailing they have "9-night South Pacific" under sail date.

 

 

 

If this is an example of their quality control, no wonder their web site is so useless.

The same intern who created the website.

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On the Aus Cruises, I'm shocked at the prices for Ovation. It's definitely more expensive than the 2017-2018 deployment for Australia.

Agree, I just looked and it's actually cheaper for me to fly from Sydney to the USA and do a quantum class from the east coast and fly back than it is to do a trip out of Sydney on Ovation.

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Their pricing is all over the place.

I go to book Explorer, it has Balcony at $2,945 per person.

I continue the booking and the total at the end is $11,578 for 2 people, so actually $5,789 per person... massive difference.

Then it takes the "discount" off which is -$3,123 leaving the total at $8,455, which in the end is $4,222.50 per person.

So how on earth does my booking start off at $2,945 per person and end up at $4,222 per person through the booking process?

The cheaper price is at the very start when I select the balcony room and then when I get to the end it jumps to the other price.

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Who on earth have they got doing the RCCI website, it's an absolute disaster on the phone or iPad.

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