Thinking of rebooking from Spirit to Explorer

[Ms Jo UK]

Having a tough time deciding. We are currently booked on Carnival Spiritfor 9 nights on 23/17/2017. Our itinerary is Noumea, Mare, Lifou, Isle of Pines.

 

We are Diamond on RCL and today I have found a cruise on Explorer for 11 nights on 29/10/2017. The itinerary is Loutoka, Suva,Lifou and Noumea.

 

Due to the C&A discount the prices are the same(ish).

 

Having a tough time deciding what to do as this may well be our last chance to cruise in the southern hemisphere. My questions are as follows.

 

1. Are tips charged to your card on Explorer (I know they are paid in the cruise fare on Carnival)

 

2. For folks living in the southern hemisphere and knowlegeable on these ports wich itinerary do you prefer and would recommend?

 

3. What is weather like at the end of October/ and mid November, in general as I know it cant be predicted.

 

When I booked I didn't research enough and had no idea nearly every port but one was a tender port on the Spirit itinerary - I am slightly put off by this but not totally.

 

I really appreciate any help I can get with this.

[jspqld]

1. Are tips charged to your card on Explorer (I know they are paid in the cruise fare on Carnival) Yes they will be charged to your on board acc about $13USD per day pp. or you can pre pay when booking.

 

2. For folks living in the southern hemisphere and knowlegeable on these ports wich itinerary do you prefer and would recommend? Both trips are good, but the explorer visits Fiji which the carnival one doesn't. I have been to some of those & liked them. Some people really don't like Suva &/or Noumea.

 

3. What is weather like at the end of October/ and mid November, in general as I know it cant be predicted. Personally I would say that that is a very good time. Not as hot and humid & less likely to encounter cyclones/bad weather.

 

When I booked I didn't research enough and had no idea nearly every port but one was a tender port on the Spirit itinerary - I am slightly put off by this but not totally. Yes the Spirit one does have mainly tenders. i'm not sure about Loutoka but I know Noumea & suva are docked.

 

I'm one of those people that could easily jump on a Carnival or RCI cruise and appreciate each one in different ways. I have been on the Carnival Legend- a sister ship to the spirit & I have also been on the Explorer twice. The explorer is a beautiful big ship with nice modern cabins, great pool deck with large hot tubs & a slightly older crowd. Your diamond status would be very handy to utilise on board. Carnival will probably have a slightly younger crowd, have more entertainment options such as late night comedy shows & great 24hr pizza!

I don't think you would regret either cruise. maybe research which ports seem more appealing & compare what sort of cabin you are staying in compared to price.

[Ms Jo UK]

1. Are tips charged to your card on Explorer (I know they are paid in the cruise fare on Carnival) Yes they will be charged to your on board acc about $13USD per day pp. or you can pre pay when booking.

 

2. For folks living in the southern hemisphere and knowlegeable on these ports wich itinerary do you prefer and would recommend? Both trips are good, but the explorer visits Fiji which the carnival one doesn't. I have been to some of those & liked them. Some people really don't like Suva &/or Noumea.

 

3. What is weather like at the end of October/ and mid November, in general as I know it cant be predicted. Personally I would say that that is a very good time. Not as hot and humid & less likely to encounter cyclones/bad weather.

 

When I booked I didn't research enough and had no idea nearly every port but one was a tender port on the Spirit itinerary - I am slightly put off by this but not totally. Yes the Spirit one does have mainly tenders. i'm not sure about Loutoka but I know Noumea & suva are docked.

 

I'm one of those people that could easily jump on a Carnival or RCI cruise and appreciate each one in different ways. I have been on the Carnival Legend- a sister ship to the spirit & I have also been on the Explorer twice. The explorer is a beautiful big ship with nice modern cabins, great pool deck with large hot tubs & a slightly older crowd. Your diamond status would be very handy to utilise on board. Carnival will probably have a slightly younger crowd, have more entertainment options such as late night comedy shows & great 24hr pizza!

I don't think you would regret either cruise. maybe research which ports seem more appealing & compare what sort of cabin you are staying in compared to price.

 

Thank you for this, I jumped on the Explorer snd booked this afternoon. I got a quote from a US TA and it was £1000 more expensive than booking with the RCL UK website. With my C&A discount I managed to get a hump JS on an 11 night cruise rather than a low floor balcony on the Spirit 9 day cruise this worked out at the same price, except trips are extra on Explorer. I am a happy bunny.

 

Also with our £ sinking rapidly due to the EU referdum looming I think I am more comfortable with a booking in sterling.

 

Like yourself I am happy to cruise both lines, so I am very pleased with this outcome.

 

Thank you again for your helpful response.

[jspqld]

well done, a JS for the same price on a longer cruise makes sense to me. enjoy

[avalon007]

Lautoka is docked so you only have Lifou for your tender.:)

 

I like Fiji, but you do need to get away from the towns.

 

In Lautoka we did a day trip out to an island for the day with lunch included which was quite nice.

 

In Suva we mostly scuba dive with a guy we know, the town has some OK shops but recommend a tour as per Lautoka to get out & about on the island.

 

Lifou has some of the best snorkelling anywhere in the world - it ranks in the top 10 snorkel spots & as a Scuba Diver I have seen a lot of beautiful reefs but Jinek Bay at Lifou is one you shouldn't miss if you can snorkel.

 

Very easy access & shallow water in a protected bay. Marine reserve so a cots of about $15AUD to enter & they have a limit per day allowed in.

 

Noumea as mentioned is not anyone's favourite - the aquarium, choo choo tourist ride & main park are Ok to see once & the shops have the best designed T-Shirts in the Pacific I have found, but that is the limit of it's appeal to me.

 

However if you snorkel Noumea does have a UNESCO listed lagoon & reef that is worth a day trip.

[avalon007]

1. Are tips charged to your card on Explorer (I know they are paid in the cruise fare on Carnival) Yes they will be charged to your on board acc about $13USD per day pp. or you can pre pay when booking.

 

2. For folks living in the southern hemisphere and knowlegeable on these ports wich itinerary do you prefer and would recommend? Both trips are good, but the explorer visits Fiji which the carnival one doesn't. I have been to some of those & liked them. Some people really don't like Suva &/or Noumea.

 

3. What is weather like at the end of October/ and mid November, in general as I know it cant be predicted. Personally I would say that that is a very good time. Not as hot and humid & less likely to encounter cyclones/bad weather.

 

When I booked I didn't research enough and had no idea nearly every port but one was a tender port on the Spirit itinerary - I am slightly put off by this but not totally. Yes the Spirit one does have mainly tenders. i'm not sure about Loutoka but I know Noumea & suva are docked.

 

I'm one of those people that could easily jump on a Carnival or RCI cruise and appreciate each one in different ways. I have been on the Carnival Legend- a sister ship to the spirit & I have also been on the Explorer twice. The explorer is a beautiful big ship with nice modern cabins, great pool deck with large hot tubs & a slightly older crowd. Your diamond status would be very handy to utilise on board. Carnival will probably have a slightly younger crowd, have more entertainment options such as late night comedy shows & great 24hr pizza!

I don't think you would regret either cruise. maybe research which ports seem more appealing & compare what sort of cabin you are staying in compared to price.

 

But compared to what? Age is relative, I'm middle aged but someone who is 70 thinks I'm young, but someone of 20 thinks I'm old.

 

Just to clarify I would say on Explorer you will get a good mix of families, middle aged 40-60 year olds will make up the bulk & a good sprinkling of 60+, but definitely not the zimmer frame & scooter crowds.

 

I wouldn't call Royal cruisers a slightly older crowd - that title is reserved more for Princess & HAL in general.:)

[jspqld]

But compared to what? Age is relative, I'm middle aged but someone who is 70 thinks I'm young, but someone of 20 thinks I'm old.

 

Just to clarify I would say on Explorer you will get a good mix of families, middle aged 40-60 year olds will make up the bulk & a good sprinkling of 60+, but definitely not the zimmer frame & scooter crowds.

 

I wouldn't call Royal cruisers a slightly older crowd - that title is reserved more for Princess & HAL in general.:)

 

I agree with your point about age is relative. However my point about the Explorer having a slightly older crowd & the Spirit having a slightly younger crowd was exactly that. I was making a direct reference between these two ships.

I wasn't suggesting that the passengers on Royal are old, I was just trying to say that the average age on board would be younger on the Carnival Spirit as opposed to the RC Explorer. Carnival promotes itself as a family Line here in Oz more so than RCI, such as lack of drink packages, Dr Suess on board, etc. So other than during school holidays I would suggest that the ratio of kids on board would be greater on Carnival throughout the year, thus bringing down the average age.

[avalon007]

I agree with your point about age is relative. However my point about the Explorer having a slightly older crowd & the Spirit having a slightly younger crowd was exactly that. I was making a direct reference between these two ships.

I wasn't suggesting that the passengers on Royal are old, I was just trying to say that the average age on board would be younger on the Carnival Spirit as opposed to the RC Explorer. Carnival promotes itself as a family Line here in Oz more so than RCI, such as lack of drink packages, Dr Suess on board, etc. So other than during school holidays I would suggest that the ratio of kids on board would be greater on Carnival throughout the year, thus bringing down the average age.

 

Agree with most of what you say but still think it needed to be clarified - as what you consider generally younger or older is relative to how old you are. :)

 

For example my 82 year old Father Inlaw went on the QE2 & was complaining that it was full of old people! :eek:

 

I would argue that Royal on their Voyager class ships especially promote themselves as family friendly due to the whole DreamWorks characters deal on those ships, the breakfast with the characters, the parades in the promenade etc etc.

 

Agree in school holidays there are always more kids - we try to avoid that time when possible.

 

But we are cruising on Ovation in January right in the middle of school holidays, & really hoping the high cost of that cruise will put off a lot of families with young kids so we don't get too many kids on board.

 

I think Carnival also has more kids because they are cheaper than Royal most of the time & this is more affordable for families.

 

Also in general the cheaper the cruise the more likely to attract more schoolies & 20 something's party crowd & along with that group often comes more bad & bogan behaviour, which is another reason Carnival has more of a reputation for that sort of clientele than Celebrity for example.

[jspqld]

Agree with most of what you say but still think it needed to be clarified - as what you consider generally younger or older is relative to how old you are. :)

 

For example my 82 year old Father Inlaw went on the QE2 & was complaining that it was full of old people! :eek:

 

I would argue that Royal on their Voyager class ships especially promote themselves as family friendly due to the whole DreamWorks characters deal on those ships, the breakfast with the characters, the parades in the promenade etc etc.

 

Agree in school holidays there are always more kids - we try to avoid that time when possible.

 

But we are cruising on Ovation in January right in the middle of school holidays, & really hoping the high cost of that cruise will put off a lot of families with young kids so we don't get too many kids on board.

 

I think Carnival also has more kids because they are cheaper than Royal most of the time & this is more affordable for families.

 

Also in general the cheaper the cruise the more likely to attract more schoolies & 20 something's party crowd & along with that group often comes more bad & bogan behaviour, which is another reason Carnival has more of a reputation for that sort of clientele than Celebrity for example.

 

And I agree with most of what you are saying which is why I said the crowd would be slightly younger on Carnival.

Unlike Voyager, the Explorer does not have DreamWorks & the associated activities. That is why many families in Oz choose the Voyager over Explorer wherever possible. Of the two cruise options above, the carnival one is also the shorter one meaning it is likely to draw more younger families than the longer cruise. So of these two options I'm guessing the average age on carnival might be 30's & 40's while the Explorer might be 40's & 50's ??

 

In regards to your Ovation cruise I have sailed on the Quantum & they are amazing ships, very different style of cruising, both in the facilities on board & the overall atmosphere. I liked it but many don't. I don't like your chances of there not being much kids in the holidays though. I have seen many people on social media bragging about having booked expensive family holidays on it. The ship is big enough though that you should be able to escape to a quiet place if needed. The solarium is perfect for that.

[Ms Jo UK]

Avalon 007 - thank you so much for the information you have provided. We are beach people and I guess we will want to find our way to the nearest good beach.

 

We are also happy to cruise with a good range of people of all ages with one caveat we do not like being overun with children (I guess I mean the under 14s). On a recent cruise I did make a mistake, and booked during October assuming the USA kids would be in school, who new they have fall break as well as spring break. There were 750 kids on board and that is a lot for the Breeze. It was mayhem, we were glad when the 2nd leg of our B2B started and they got of the ship and wern't replaced, school went back in session.

 

I guess I ought to ask the cruise is 29th October to 9th November are there Australian school holidays during that time frame? Just want to be mentally prepared for all possibilities lol.

[robinph]

We are also happy to cruise with a good range of people of all ages with one caveat we do not like being overun with children (I guess I mean the under 14s). On a recent cruise I did make a mistake, and booked during October assuming the USA kids would be in school, who new they have fall break as well as spring break. There were 750 kids on board and that is a lot for the Breeze. It was mayhem, we were glad when the 2nd leg of our B2B started and they got of the ship and wern't replaced, school went back in session.

 

 

A smart move switching to RCL Explorer over Carnival Spirit, Spirit is primarily a family cruise ship with lots & lots of under 14"s, we did the Spirit 30 January 2014 thinking most kids should be back at school for the beginning of the new school year, this is when we normally like to cruise...... not to be, there were just on 1000 kids on board, I could not believe it,:eek: this year we did the Explorer and what a difference, a few kids on board but nothing overwhelming like the Spirit:) Robin

[avalon007]

Avalon 007 - thank you so much for the information you have provided. We are beach people and I guess we will want to find our way to the nearest good beach.

 

We are also happy to cruise with a good range of people of all ages with one caveat we do not like being overun with children (I guess I mean the under 14s). On a recent cruise I did make a mistake, and booked during October assuming the USA kids would be in school, who new they have fall break as well as spring break. There were 750 kids on board and that is a lot for the Breeze. It was mayhem, we were glad when the 2nd leg of our B2B started and they got of the ship and wern't replaced, school went back in session.

 

I guess I ought to ask the cruise is 29th October to 9th November are there Australian school holidays during that time frame? Just want to be mentally prepared for all possibilities lol.

 

You are welcome.

 

School holidays this year run from 24 Sept to 9 Oct & should be similar dates next year, so you should be in the 'safe' zone. :)

[Ms Jo UK]

You are welcome.

 

School holidays this year run from 24 Sept to 9 Oct & should be similar dates next year, so you should be in the 'safe' zone. :)

 

 

Thank you so much for this information.