Cruise only
Balcony Cabins have now dropped further in price.
Itinerary: Sydney- Noumea - Mystery island - Brisbane - Sydney
Onboard Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas
Note: No onboard credit with this last minute guarantee booking
No fees for AMEX.
It’s a guarantee balcony- meaning the cruise line selects the room. You will get at least a balcony- could be obstructed
Is this a good price? Never done cruise before
Around $120 pppn is good for a balcony, however check that there are no hidden costs (gratuities etc). Also keep in mind all booze and shore excursions will be extra
Am not game to do a shore excursion….
Why not? I hear their shore excursions to active volcanoes are highly recommended.
Prepaid gratuities are included in the fare for Australian Royal caribbean cruises.
which you can ask to have removed.
Gratuities is voluntary. Location of the cabin is important for those who might be sea sick.
On cruises?
Really??
You chose not to pay gratuities on your last cruise?
@Eeples: Yes, I do this on all my cruises. I will give tips to individuals I feel have done a good job such as room steward, wait staff, etc.
@ATangk: So those ppl are lining up to get refunded their auto-gratuities?
And some of them may or may not have tipped individuals during their stay?
And even some of the auto-gratuity ppl (who don't want a refund) also may or may not have tipped individuals too?
@Eeples: Yes yes and yes.
The auto gratuities are distributed in a certain way but usually you would just take that money and give it to your own waiters/waitresses and the room steward/ess.
Guaranteed balcony view or life boat view?
It’s a good option if you haven’t seen a life boat so close.
At least you have easy access to a life boat if the ship starts sinking.
well, the women and children do…
Just say "It's MAAM!" as you shoulder check the women and children out of the way.
is that how it works?
@Numlock: If that's a serious question - no. It used to be back when women were their husbands servant in return for being looked after.
I'm sure there'll be a small number of people on board stuck in the past insisting that's how it should be if an evacuation does need to take place though. (Not such a bad thing, assuming they've dropped the whole "women should be in the kitchen" attitude!)
I wonder if they have seen a drop in sales given the White Island disaster… I guess their name would now be tied to this..
But, they are not even going to that country (NZ) are they? :)
Would you fly Malaysian Airlines even if it wasn’t to Malaysia?
Lol
I'd only fly Malaysian airlines over Ukraine or Iran
I've flown Malaysian Airlines twice after those incidents.
Under international rules Malaysian airlines can’t really operate flights without one end or at least one leg of the journey bring Malaysia.
@ATangk: Congrats on making it to Malaysia partly. We know the Asian airlines excluding Singapore have subpar track records compared to Australia, we just do it so much better.
I’ll stick to Qantas.
I've flown to Malaysia many times on Malaysian airlines, and I'm booked to do so again in April. Never had an issue.
What a bizarre analogy. To make sense, climbing an active volcano would have to be a mandatory activity on the cruise!
People are idiots who react to headlines only so yes.
I think media releases knowledge by statistics and that is what allows people to make a decision.
Just intime for cyclone season.
book it for Scummo
Scummo is the new Scomo.
I don't see what all things are included in this price? Like food each day, any activities? Are these things out of pocket or included in the ticket already?
Food is included, such as the Main Dining Room, Buffet, Sorrentos (Pizza), and a couple of other things. There are specialty restaurants that you can pay for if you wish.
Thanks mate
I'd say the reason that this is cheap is that it only has 2 stops. Good for relaxing on board and sitting on the balcony relaxing watching the sea, and eating of course.
3 stops
Yeah, sorry, I meant outside Aus.
Yep, I’ll be cruising for the holiday purpose not the itinerary. Will be nice to snorkel at Mystery island though.
Just sit in the bath tub for a week and order Uber eats be a lot cheaper if u don’t care for the ports of call
^ Add Tinder, and you've got yourself a business model
Great facilities on this ship, but the decks are poorly laid out. It created a lazy atmosphere of passengers who had nothing better to do than beach themselves 24/7 on the couches. No big space for fun pool parties etc.
Also I don't believe $1091 is great value. I've paid $999 for balcony rooms on an RCL 7 night cruise with better itinerary (with $999 being fairly standard pricing, although it wasn't ex-Australia).
Yes I am unsure why this constitutes a deal also.
price is normally around $200-250pp per night, so yes its a good deal
It's $1099-$1149 from Royal Caribbean Cruises directly, and they have 40% off every guest up to $300 & up to $400 USD ship spend like this deal. So not as much of a deal as it seems.
@Rumbaar: Booking directly is under the same offer but $1149 (no onboard credit)- same deal but $60 more. I’ve just listed the cheapest price of the cruise travel agents, who are usually just cheaper than direct.
It is a deal because of the significant discount on balcony cabins. Dropped $300 since last week.
@BargHunter100: Dropping the price of cabins is standard practice for all cruise liners as the cruise date nears. It's likely to drop even further as this is a big ship and they won't want empty cabins. So if you consider this a deal, you'd have to flood OzB with hundreds of other cruises for hundreds of different departure dates as the prices drop. Misleading to the rookie cruiser.
It's $1099-$1149 from Royal Caribbean Cruises directly
For that sail date yes, but it you look at others, you will see generally its $200-250pp per night on other sailings, so this one is a good deal.
up to $400 USD ship
key words are UP TO, sure if you book a suite you get $400USD credit. But you're not paying sub $1200pp.
@JimmyF: To me it's an alright cruise deal if your looking at retail pricing - which when it comes to Cruising is always inflated outside of holiday periods. Just google 90 day ticker for a look at 3 months of cruises coming up with their prices dropping 60-80%.
There's a 14 night deal on Holland America's Masdam for a similar price at the moment. but if you want the Balcony then this deals alright.
Its just not overly special in my view compared to standard discounts on cruises and when it shows up on Ozbargain if you don't cruise then the high discount percentages play into it sounding better than it is. or like the above poster said, you could flood Ozbargain with all todays current cruise deals.
In saying that - plenty of others are upvoting this so perhaps the crowd doesn't agree with my thoughts :P
There's a 14 night deal on Holland America's Masdam for a similar price at the moment. but if you want the Balcony then this deals alright.
So you're comparing a non balcony room on Maasdam to a balcony room on Ovation?
Ovation is a way nicer ship than Maasdam, and Ovation has always had premium pricing.
Ovation of the Seas usually commands a higher price per night than other RCL ships sailing in Australia because it has more/fancier facilities.
Plus really good shore excursions.
Do they ever have pricing that is all inclusive?
Not really but you can buy a drink package which is usually around USD50-60 per day.
Ovation reminds me of 'standing ovation' and applause.
Applause reminds you of ovulation - I think you're the weird one?
Where did he say that Applause reminds him/her of ovulation? You are the weird one.
words remind me of words in a wordy world
Note: No onboard credit with this last minute guarantee booking
What makes you say there is no OBC?
One BIG Sale with up to US$400 Onboard Credit, up to 40% off and up to BONUS $300 Savings!
One BIG sale is on with Royal Caribbean with up to 40% off and up to US$400 onboard Credit!
Plus, receive up to $300 BONUS savings when you book before the 14th of January 2020.
Onboard Credit varies by itinerary, cabin type and duration:
Local Sailings:
Cruise 6+ nights: US$100 Inside or Oceanview / US$200 Balcony or Junior Suites / US$400 Grand Suite or higher
Valid for new bookings only and does not combine with any other promotion.
Onboard credit may not be available in all categories and is subject to availability.
Non-refundable deposit required for sailings outside of final payment.
Offer is only valid for new Royal Caribbean bookings on selected voyages.
On sale until 4pm (AEDT) on the 2nd of February 2020 unless sold out prior.
Discounts on all cruises not just this one, although this one seems good for Balcony Cabin.
I looked on the royal caribbean website and onboard credit is only coming up for the inside and outside cabins. I assumed this was because it was a last minute reduction on just the balcony guarantee cabins (being the “other promotion” it cannot combine with?)
Yes - it is showing as $100 OBC for inside and oceanview but nothing for balcony on the RCL direct booking site - makes oceanview worth a look.
(https://www.royalcaribbean.com/aus/en/booking/superCategory?…)
Is this kids friendly? What's the price for a 2yo? I cannot see it on the website.
They don't have special pricing for children but last time I bought a free 3rd 4th guests in the same room.
I wouldn't say it's kid friendly, yes there's a kid club and some kid oriented performances but most activities are targeted towards adults.
Last time we took our 2yr old daughter onboard a 5 days cruise and she got bored pretty fast (even with 2 excursions). But that was on the Voyager OTS, maybe they have more kid oriented facilities on this one.
Is it with the same cruise line?
Looking for kids options as well.
We went on Ovation in Nov18 year with our 5 year old. Absolutely fantastic ship. Kids club is really good but it is for 3 and over.
Food was amazing and never felt the need to pay for the better speciality restaurants. Things like the Ifly , Rockclimbing and Dodgem cars are all free.
I think this is a pretty good deal for the one the best ships in Oz.
PS. I think there is a kids minding for under 3 though.
It is kid friendly but this deal is for twin share only so it will be more exxy for triple share (and yes kids irrespective of age are treated as an adult but the price for the 3/4 person in the cabin may be cheaper than the 1st 2 people.
How much is the Zimmer frame hire and what time is bingo?
If you've been on these, Bingo is one of the highlights of these cruises. Also some big wins, can result in it paying for a decent amount of the trip.
So it's a floating RSL club?
with old farts and noisy kids
It's definitely value for money for that price on Ovations of the seas.
can you smoke on the balcony?
Nope
Only weed
Technically, no. But you'll see a lot of people doing so. But if caught you can also be kicked off the boat.
I hope they give you a lifejacket first
Noumea isn’t that interesting ( because it’s basically a small city), but Mystery Island is great. Classic light blue water and a great view of the much larger main island which is quite close. You can usually do tours that go over there.
How dare you
This is a good price for Ovation of the Seas, RC and actual port stops..
100% agree
For anyone that hasn’t been cruising before, the Ovation is a big stable ship, the food is great, entertainment options galore and not a bad price.
Recommend you get a coffee card if you don’t want the drinks package - I think it is 15 drinks for ~$50 IIRC. Buy it before the trip, it’s cheaper than when you get on the boat - same for any other drinks package, but before you get on…
And also keep checking the price of the packages in the Cruise Planner as they change all the time. I'm going on the Ovation next month and the price has fluctuated from $48 USD per day to around $55 or so.
9 nights of "adult daycare" ! How many incontinence nappies does one get?
Thanks @BargHunter100 just booked
See you onboard !
Ozbargin pool party
It’s a great price. For those on the fence, do it!
Where are all the comments saying that cruise ships are terrible for the environment?
(Washy washy…)
I just added one.
Have to find a gf to meet this deal :)
Environmentally, this is the worst holiday format you could choose.
All to float around wondering what food they’re gonna stuff in to you whilst it’s belching co2 and you’re farting cause there was something wrong with the seafood.
Gastro is complimentary.
No visit to an active volcano?
And where is this XB category cabin on the ship? Can't find it on the deck plans.