M-H-B

On 1/27/2024 at 2:11 PM, hammo said:

( By the way there are many not so patriottic Aussies displaying un Australian style demonstations at the moment re Australia Day which I shouldnt comment on for fear of adding angst to your fine posts ) 

I think the demonstrations are very Australian actually. I guess we must have a very different view of what it means to be Australian

Me and my son (10) will be on this cruise also. Second time on Ovation. Will look forward to reading your thoughts.

Have the Bankwest one and no issues, very happy with it.

How cold was it? I'm doing NZ but the South and am expecting to be pretty cold, just wondering how bad 🙂

Recommend going up to the Spa on day 1 and talking to the ladies there. Ask for a tour and if there are any specials. There are normally specials on day 1 (and throughout!) but you could use a special to give it a go and then get a longer pass if you love it.

Solarium has seemed busy to me in the past but it is less busy late afternoon/evening and is actually lovely around that time.

Is all the comedy PG/G or is it split - the earlier sessions family friendly and the later ones for 18+ the way Carnival do it?

Thanks!

Do you have many more days to fill up? If you do, a day trip out to Katoomba/Blue Mountains would be nice

Glad you are feeling better already. I recently caught COVID on Carnival Splendor and was down with it for almost two weeks.

Enjoy Sydney. That Anzac memorial in Hyde Park is right across from my office, its a lovely park. 🙂

Oh so sorry to hear that! I recently got covid on a Carnival cruise so I feel your pain.

I hope you're feeling much better soon and can enjoy some time in Sydney. If you need any suggestions of things to do, we're here to help!

Wow, it sounds like there might be quite a bit of COVID onboard but that could be leaping to conclusions.

Hope you all stay well.

I agree that it's not normal re the lack of entertainment - I was last on her February 2020 and there was plenty on. Maybe the performers got sick too 😞

Sorry to hear, may he rest in peace

3 hours ago, kernow said:

There are still free sessions and there are also extended sessions that are charged. In general I think the pay sessions are on sea days, I know today North Star has been out over the side of the ship and those trips are charged, 16 minutes are 19 dollars pp. On port days the straight up and down trips are free. 

I fly has free one minute trial rides on port days for free, just checked the app and today it's 29 dollars for an hour, presumably that's a lesson. The free slots were available on the app as soon as we boarded.

Many thanks! We have the Key and my son (9) is keen to try the Flowrider for the first time and have another go on the Ifly so its good to know there are still some free sessions.

I was just on Carnival a couple of weeks ago and there truly was not much sign at all of the nights where there was supposedly a more elegant dress code required. Much less than what I had been used to on Royal for comparison.

Wow! So what time did people end up getting on?

8 hours ago, kernow said:

 

Not sure if there is Internet in the terminal but if not I won't have any until sometime tomorrow when I'll start my first 24 hours. I'll update with photos and ship info then. If anyone has anything they want me to find out let me know.

 

We have two and a half seadays until we arrive in Vanatu on Saturday so planning a nice relaxing time to get over the remaining jetlag😁

 

 

 

Keen to know if there really is a charge now for things that used to be free on Ovation, like IFly, NorthStar etc.

Many thanks!

I'll also be boarding on Jan 24th for the same 11 day NZ itinerary. I've been on Ovation once before and she is lovely.

Have a great trip, can't wait to hear what you do in each port.

https://www.carnival.com.au/onboard/cheers

$119 AUD x the number of nights onboard.

As a point of comparison, in Feb 2020 when I last sailed from Sydney, I paid $76AUD per day and that was the Deluxe Bev Package plus internet Surf & Stream included. 

So that a big no from me on whether $100 per day, with no internet included, is worth it! 🙂

I've cancelled and rebooked with Royal in the past several times and never been charged anything extra.

Suggest you add this to the Australia/NZ Cruisers forum instead. 

I've been on Ovation but to the South Pacific. Have an Ovation cruise to NZ booked for this coming January.

If you're travelling with kids or active young adults, would highly recommend Ovation.

If you'd consider driving, I'd say get a car and do the drive up to Terrigal. Such a beautiful area and views along the way and a lovely beach for a nice lunch. If you're into history, would highly recommend going over to the old Quarantine Station in Manly https://www.qstation.com.au/ - beautiful, peaceful and a scary ghost tour available too 🙂

What ports do you have on your cruise - Cairns and Airlie Beach or others?

On 7/27/2021 at 5:17 AM, asalligo said:

My wife will not go near the casino. If it were smoke free I would spend more time there, but I understand that non smoking gamblers are the minority. 

You should cruise out of Australian ports - casinos are always smoke free on AU cruises 🙂

Love New Zealand and its allll beautiful but after many many trips, would have to rate South Island over North Island any day - particularly for landscapes, mountains etc. Auckland is a small city that is just like any other city, you will not miss anything significant by not visiting it.  Bay of Islands is lovely in summer, Rotorua is definitely unique, Wellington is lovely despite the wind. So ideally do it all and land trips as have been recommended already but if you had to make the call, and you're sticking to the two cruise options, do the 10 night RT.

How do you find PVP's?