Royalty X

I just received further details of P&O's replacement for the buffet - The Pantry. It looks pretty impressive to me! Here's what they had to say...

 

Exclusive to P&O, The Pantry is a brand new, fun food experience unlike anything you’ve seen on a cruise before.

Say goodbye to the buffet and hello to freshly made food from every corner of the globe via a selection of individual outlets in a relaxed café setting, including Sugar Bar, Mexicana, Hook’s Fish N’ Chips, Fat Cow, Kettle & Bun, Curry House and Stix. Day or Night, there’s something for everyone in The Pantry, making it the perfect venue for a quick bite, a long lunch or dinner you won’t soon forget.

Coming to Pacific Jewel, Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden between June and November 2015.

 

SUGAR BAR - Discover a mouth-watering selection of cakes, pastries and individual desserts all freshly made onboard at Sugar Bar. If you’re in the mood for something sweet, bring the family for some handmade desserts to top off any meal.

 

KETTLE & BUN - Kettle & Bun offers freshly baked bread, expertly crafted sandwiches, great tasting salads and mouthwatering soups. It’s seems unfair to choose just one, so mix and match for your perfect combo! For dinner, visit our Salad Bar where we’ll toss us a bespoke creation that’ll prove that you DO make friends with salad.

 

MEXICANA - P&O does Mexican right at our very own Mexicana. Our soft or hard shell tacos filled with favourites like homemade salsas and pickles, chilli, guacamole, fresh lime and cheese will impress even the seasoned salsa connoisseur. It’s a fresh and spicy treat to enjoy any time.

 

STIX - China, Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar – they all have their own word for ‘chop sticks’, so onboard we just call them Stix! Indulge your passion for Asia’s finest cuisines including traditional rice dishes, the freshest stir-fries, sizzling noodles and heartwarming dumpling soups. And don’t miss our famous P&O Laksa!

 

CURRY HOUSE - Where does the best curry in the world come from? Right here at P&O! Curry House is a smorgasbord of classic curry flavours and authentic dishes. Whether you’re enjoying an old favourite or trying something new (like the renowned P&O Tandoori), you’ll love the incredible range, complemented by homemade breads, chutneys, raitas and pickles.

 

HOOK'S FISH & CHIPS - The catch of the day…every day! Surf & turf goes casual with P&O’s Fish & Chips. Serving up crispy battered fish and hot chips with the perfect amount of crunch, this onboard ‘fish & chip shop’ knows how to please. Get your hands on the freshest seafood and daily specials like salt & pepper squid, lemon & herb calamari rings or crumbed scallops. Yum!

 

FAT COW - VEGETARIANS BEWARE! at Fat Cow there’s more meat than you can imagine. We offer the finest cuts to send meat lovers into a flutter! Try tender carvings, roast chicken (using our own secret recipe), succulent legs of lamb, cured hams, roast pork racks and beef scotch fillets that melt in your mouth. It’s all sourced from local producers and served with a wide selection of rustic sides and condiments to create the perfect roast dinner!

 

THE GRILL - The Grill has had a makeover! Everybody loves a good burger! To celebrate our love of this humble dish, ‘The Grill’ serves up an amazing range including gourmet beef, pulled-pork and many more. You’ll also find plenty of old favourites like hot dogs, nachos, pizzas, meat pies and chips (nominal charges apply).

 

More details here...

http://au-content.em.sdlproducts.com/carnival_australia/images/6316/Pantry-Brochure.pdf

Okay, I just heard back from him. Apparently there is some sort of propulsion problem.

I have a friend onboard. I'm trying to get more info out of him.

Spirit is getting the full 2.0 upgrades in August.

More and more are going other places. RCI announced that a second Quantum class ship will be going to China (two there and one here). Add to that two Oasis class ships in Europe and one can draw their own conclusions as to who is second fiddle (or lower:confused:).

RCI just announced they would have all three Oasis class in the US (Oasis from PC, Allure & Harmony from FLL), plus Anthem is still sailing from Bayonne. With the number of cruise options you guys have, I'd hardly call you second fiddle. [emoji19]

Why is it disappointing? There is still a Quantum class ship in the US.

*sigh* Tampa needs a new year-round based Spirit class ship... Silly Aussies, taking one of our best ships...

Sorry, but we like 'em! [emoji39]

But I have been told that all TAs get around there advertised price by simply adding the word FROM so that makes it all legit?

Of course they have to use the word "from" with regards to pricing. The advertised specials are usually the lead-in category room type or a guarantee basis. Yes, you can sail on the ships "from" whatever price is advertised, but if you want something in particular (highest category balcony stateroom for example), you have to pay for it. Why should you have the highest category for the lead-in price or a balcony for the price of an inside? There is nothing wrong with this sort of advertising.

 

Regarding online TAs and their use of pricing without gratuities, I guess it all depends on the cruise line. This is how they get people to buy and make you think they are cheaper than anywhere else.

The price of cruises departing Australia have definitely increased. The pricing is absolute highway robbery. I would've thought with Princess bringing more ships into the market, Carnival upping their offering to two ships (with a rumoured third coming) and local operation P&O Australia adding another two ships to make a total of five in their fleet, that RCI would at least try and compete with their pricing, but it doesn't seem to be the case. It's disgusting and sadly, it's making me consider other options. :(

We always prepay them as part of the fare. That way we don't need to stress about it once onboard. It does amaze me how many people are put off by the fact that there are grats. I once had a lady call me at work, simply so she could tell me that she would never sail RCI because of the grats. I told her that P&O, Princess, Carnival, etc simply adjusted their fares to include them. She didn't like me suggesting that. LOL!

I'd rather pre-book them before the USD/AUD exchange rate gets any worse. [emoji53]

Hmmm, we sailed on Mariner a few weeks ago and were able to buy drink packages online. And this is Voyager, sailing from Australia, so I don't know why it would be any different. :(

My apologies if this has been covered in a separate thread. Our cruise from Fremantle to Singapore on Voyager leaves in 64 days and I've been having a look at the Cruise Planner. The only drink package that's available to purchase is the Evian Water Package. No alcoholic or non-alcoholic packages are available (they're not even showing up). Is anyone else having this trouble and does anyone know why this would be the case?

You're not the only one....

 

I booked a ticket on Spirit...through an agent...and then went on the Carnival site to "manage the booking".

 

 

 

Found you can't do much, but check in.

 

 

 

All the other companies allow you to select meal times, add spa bookings and shore excursions and such.

 

 

 

I hope you were joking about shore excursions not being available to book until you board !

According to one of the Carnival reps I know, the onboard booking systems are still set up for the U.S. systems. Everything in Australia is managed through Polar, which is different to the U.S. system and they're not compatible. That's what I was told anyway...

That's really good, considering it cost us $70 in a cab.

Would you consider Carnival Legend for any trip in the future? We had friends that did their first cruise and loved it on Carnival Legend, but when I checked out their prices I wasn't finding it cheap enough to entice me. Actually we got a better price on Celebrity Solstice in a Concierge Guarantee last minute that went a day before theirs, but we didn't tell them that ;) We wonder sometimes if we should give another line a go....but we are happy with Royal and Celebrity.

I must admit, I really wasn't impressed by Carnival when I did the Spirit repositioning in 2012. I was determined to not cruise with them again. But I was given the opportunity to sail with Carnival again, when Legend arrived in Australia and I was impressed by it. I think with the Spirit cruise, they just weren't prepared for such a long itinerary. I would sail with them again if the price was too good to turn down and the itinerary was something different. However, every time I look at a different cruise line, I think to myself "that's money I could be spending on another Royal cruise." I love RCI's product and we've enjoyed our cruises with them. They'll continue to be our first choice. :)

Nope, I will choose RCI regardless of the onboard currency.

It's a bit later than what you were looking for, but there is a 9 night South Pacific singles cruise on Carnival Spirit on the 30th of November...

Carnival are also advertising for a new Business Development Manager so they're obviously anticipating growth of the brand.

Next to Carnival Corp, on the right hand side, it specifies Carnival Cruise Line, so it's more than likely gonna be the third Carnival ship (16Feb17, 12Apr17, 26Apr17, then 10Jul17). Perhaps they haven't been able to secure all the spots they want, because some dates are quite far apart.

I know I shouldn't let it bother me, but it really gets on my nerves when people don't prepay their gratuities or remove auto tipping. Seriously, just prepay it and then you don't have to worry about it. Consider it part of your cruise fare if you have to. One thing I wish RCI and Celebrity would do, is just include it in the upfront fare, don't make it optional to remove or have to pay it onboard.

Medibank specialises in medical insurance and Australia Post is a post office. I always go with a dedicated travel insurer (that's all they do). We buy Covermore and find it most affordable to buy a multi annual policy. :)

Yep, check out around the 1:19 mark on this ...

There is a Charlie's Bar in the atrium of both new ships. :)

Did you stop in Langkawi or where you on the Penang trip?

Is there much to do in Langkawi?

My concern(Being first cruise,and who know's if last) has been that the ship leaves on the first arvo and then we dock every morning,at KL,Langkawi & Phuket then the sea day back to S'Pore.

If we get off every day will I have enough time on the ship to enjoy it all?

I've been thinking about skipping Langkawi or only doing 2-3 hours in Phuket.What do you think?

Thanks for the replies so far.

Ours was a 4 night cruise. Singapore - Port Klang (Kuala Lumpur) - Phuket - Sea Day - Singapore. For the reason for wanting to check out the ship, do as much as we could on board, we skipped Port Klang (good thing too, because it absolutely bucketed down and the majority of people who went ashore got drenched). :)