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18 Nights Sydney to Honolulu Cruise on Ovation of The Seas Depart 13 Apr - 2 Persons Interior $2400 @ Royal Carribean Cruises

2000

I always thought Royal Carribean was one of the high end cruises and especially the ovation if the seas was one of their best ships in Oz.
Here’s the deal
Departure : Sydney
Itenary : 18 nights - transpacific
ONE-WAY FROM: Sydney, Australia to Oahu (Honolulu), Hawaii
VISITING: Sydney, AustraliaAuckland, New ZealandInternational Dateline, Raiatea, French PolynesiaPapeete, TahitiMoorea, French PolynesiaOahu (Honolulu), Hawaii
Departure Date: 13-Apr
Ship: Ovation of the seas
Price: $1199 pp twin share interior cabin.

This one comes to $1200 pp for 18 nights which is $67 per night. I know it’s a one way cruise which ends in Hawaii but even better if someone wants to spend a couple days in Hawaii before coming back. Plus it covers most of the NSW school holidays departure date 13-Apr I reckon this is as good as it gets.

Hope this helps some of us.

As always, enjoy !

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closed Comments

  • How does kid pricing work? Cant really see it in website - assume we have to pay for extra adult prices?

    • +6

      Looks like 4 in the room is more expensive than 2 in a room. If you have 2 kids you might be better or booking 2 rooms. I always like having 2 rooms so you get an extra bathroom and more space to move around. The downside is - of you let the operator choose your rooms (which is the cheapest option) then you might end up having rooms which are not close to each other - but that doesn’t really bother me.

      • Yeah, tested booking two interconnecting rooms with 1 adult 1 child in each and it was only $3k.

        Edit: My bad $4275

        • Same boat I’m looking for a deal for 4…

          Doesn’t matter if the kids are 8m or 8YO

      • +4

        Sounds good to me…. You're on the other side of the boat kids, I'll see you tomorrow… After lunch.

  • -3

    Cost of food, drinks (hard/soft), tips, hidden costs?
    Would prefer all inclusive but not seen any deals

    • +3

      I assumed food and drink included?

        • +13

          There are a number of complimentary venues on the ship such as the main buffet and dining room, while some of the niche specialty restaurants have an extra charge. Alcohol is obviously not free. There are free water, coffee and drink stations but specialty coffee, freshly squeezed juices and soft drinks are paid for. There is also free soft serve on the pool deck.

          Overall you definitely wont go thirsty or hungry if you only stick to the complimentary options.

          • @FuRyZ: Thanks. Are the drink stations premix cola etc or just water?

          • -1

            @FuRyZ:

            free soft serve on the pool deck.

            WHAT???!!!

            • +1

              @Jimothy Wongingtons: they have a soft serve ice cream machine where they give you cones of ice cream for free…. this is located on the pool deck

              I use to take a cup with me … get them to put ice cream into it .. then go downstairs and mix it with coffee :D

              • @CereaL: That’s what I mean

                I’d practically be living off this if it’s a half decent vanilla flavour and no limits

                • +3

                  @Jimothy Wongingtons: Personally I’d say it’s not great.

                  It’s not ice cream like at McDonald’s etc, but more an ice confection. Also tends to be only available limited times; sometimes they only run it when there is a server there.

      • What cruise does not include food?! Only specialty restaurants on some boats aren't in the Indian price paid.

    • +6

      All food is included. Drinks ofcourse will be extra. I am not a big drinker so just pay for the drinks on days I need - works out much cheaper than buying the package.
      I personally haven’t been on RC but have heard they have some compulsory tipping - maybe someone who has been on one can confirm.

      • +2

        Tips included on this one.

        • +2

          They include tips in the price of all Australian departures. Otherwise you can just ask to remove the tips charge from your account, and whilst most Americans would never dream of doing this it isn't something Aussies have an issue with.

      • You can actually buy a card that gives you 10 cocktails for about US$80 on board at any of the bars. With the prices of coctails being around US$12 that's not a bad way to go. They just stamp the card each time after you purchase. Not worth it for beers (US$7) but good for the other drinks. NOTE as espresso martini is hard to prepare properly at any bars except Schooner where they have a coffee machine, the coctail card does NOT inlcude the espresso martini - you pay extra for that one but it seems to be the only one.

        They also have a cocktail of the day for US$8. Different each day.

    • +3

      Aside from specialty restaurants, food included. Grog, soft drinks and specialty coffee not included. Tips included.

      If you are happy yo dine in the main dining room, the buffet snd the various takeaway places snd not drink the extra beverages, you can walk away without another cent.

      Wifi is very expensive. Like $25-30 usd per day unless you get it free due to loyalty status. .
      .

      • +1

        Wifi can be cheaper (around AU$20/day) if you pre-book it during a sale. We often get one package and just share it by hotspotting the phones.

        • +3

          How do you hotspot when you are connected to the ships wifi?

          • @GLO: I believe you can tether it if your phone has the feature, unsure of how it works these days though but it's been possible for quite some time now

          • @GLO: Something like this does the job.
            Great for when you buy a single wifi connection or where hotels give you a limited number of logins
            https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/828620

      • +4

        Damn.. that is extortionate.

        That's expensive enough that you could seriously consider a short term rental of a Starlink setup.

        • +7

          "Excuse me captain, do you mind if I put my satellite dish on the top deck next to your radar? I'd like to Ozbargain on a budget.

          What do you mean, back to steerage?"

        • starlink equipement prohibited at security scan

        • Starlink isn’t allowed on a moving vehicle unless you pay extra. Aka, even RVs or camper vans

        • +2

          Or you could actually disconnect and enjoy your holiday?

          With the eSIMS here on OzBargain you can always do things you feel you have to do when you hit shore, which is generally at least every second day.

      • Can you take starlink onboard?

    • -3

      Always expect there be an auto daily tip added to your bill when going on a cruise. If it turns out that the tip was included then think of it as you're getting a discount.

      Unless you plan to stick to what's included, expect the cost of tours, drinks and internet access add up to an average of 50% of your cruise cost.

      • +11

        Not if you book through the Australian site. The tips are then included in the cruise fare. If you book via the US site, then yes there will be a daily charge based on your cabin type.

      • +6

        The Port Fees + Daily Gratuities fee is inclusive as you have used the Australian website … you can continue to tip onboard for good service … but it's not compulsary..

    • +2

      Parents recently got back from a RC cruise and were complaining that they didn't have the usual self serve laundromats, you had to pay for their laundry cleaning services at per item cleaned rates. 18 day cruise I could see that tacking on a couple hundred in laundering costs

      • +5

        Royal Caribbean don't have self serve laundries. Princess, P&O and Carnival do.

        • Carnival luminousa doesn't.
          Varys per ship, pays to check floorplans

  • +9

    Only 3 days on land out of 18. You'll be spending many nights cruising.

    • +11

      At that rate I’ll be on cruise control.

    • +1

      Yikes that might get boring fast!

      • +1

        If you've never been cruising then you'll proably find that statement wrong. There is SO much to keep you busy.

        If you're a person that can't sit still (like those who need to tinker on cars instead of relaxing in front of the telly for example) then yes, it may get boring.

        But there's not a second of the day there's not SOMETHING on around the ship somewhere.

  • +6

    Royals food has declined precipitously in quality post COVID. Every cruise it gets worse, even in the restaurant for suites only and specialty restaurants

    • +5

      Oh - that’s not very nice. I had a friend go on the brilliance of the seas recently and couldn’t stop complaining about the food. I thought it was because of the ship.
      My only cruising experience has been with P&O and May be I am easily pleased but I can’t stop talking highly about my cruise and can go many more times but the misses only wants to go on RC or better now.

      • +7

        funnily .. I was on Brilliance a couple of weeks ago and the food was a 9/10 … especially in the buffet area. was extremely happy with it!

        • +3

          Was on Ovation a couple weeks ago. Agreed with you, the food was surprisingly really good.

      • +2

        I too was on Brilliance a few weeks ago. I had no complaints on the food.

    • +3

      Agreed, sadly the food has gone down hill a lot since pre-covid. I went on Ovation last year and Explorer of the sea before covid. The food quality isn't comparable and is very average now. Shockingly some of the fruit was rotten on board which we had to alert the waiters.

    • That is a concern. I haven't cruised post COVID and my experience was that food in the main dining room could be compared favourably with an average restaurant while the buffet compared favourably with cheaper buffets in Australia.

    • +1

      My old review

      "So I've been on a Royal Carribean ship to the South Pacific 4 ish years ago and I loved my experience. The dining was fantastic, our waiter went the extra mile with his charisma and conversation and every day the dining options appeared to be themed, with blurbs on the chefs on each day and what cuisine they specialised in and every other night at least it felt like there was live entertainment in the theatre. It felt nearly seamless.

      I felt that my 9 day Ovation of the Seas cruise to NZ last november was a victim of costcutting. The Main Dining room options had no more theming as a main feature, just adequate wait service and the food quality i felt was lower, more thicker cuts of meat with too little sauce to power through plainer cooked chicken or lamb."

      https://www.reddit.com/r/royalcaribbean/comments/13ah2ad/a_m…

    • +1

      Literally went in January and have been on 6 cruises.

      The food is very good, our two parties of families we go with have not noticed any decline at all so YMMV.

  • Room with a kid doubles the price.

    It’s a great deal though!

    • +2

      Go for two rooms instead of one if you have 2 kids. Cheaper that way.

      • +1

        Just the 8yo boy, he gets a fold out couch on other cruises. Should honestly be half an adult fare for a kid. He could not consume that much on the trip

        • +1

          It doesn’t work like that. Kids don’t drink alcohol, they don’t gamble, they don’t do spa etc. so cruise lines make a lot less money from kids. So from a cruise line perspective, kids should pay more than adults.

          • +1

            @onceupon8: Yes, but the kids make their parents need more alcohol, gambling, spa, etc. so they should pay less.

            • +1

              @donga100: So I guess charging them at the same price as adults is the fair compromise :)

  • Consider the flight expenses prior to booking your cruise. Typically, I prefer opting for round-trip cruises.

    • +5

      I was looking into this cruise and the other one out of Brisbane but the flights back were $1200+. Pretty much kills the deal

    • +6

      That's why Ozbargainers hoard frequent flyer points.

      • lol

      • Absolutely.

      • a few flights back on dates in early May for 55,200 qantas points plus $85 in taxes

    • Yeah, just looked and if I was willing to have 2 transfers flying with the world renowned "Zipair" (??) with a total 49 hours I could get my flight back for $1,037 per person…
      Anything else is near $2,000.
      Nup.

      • +1

        ZipAir is owned by Japan Airlines and its a low cost carrier but they do free WiFi onboard and the pricing is competitive even if you pay for food onboard so dont necessarily rule them out.

        I just plugged in a one way flight on 03 May (the day after the ship gets to Hawaii) and Asiana is at $1330 acc to Google Flights if flying to Sydney, or $1254 with PAL if flying to Brisbane.

  • +1

    Yes but interior cabin.

  • +6

    18 days? You gonna be bored out of your mind… 7 days is more than enough

    • Depends on what kind of person you are - see my statements above. Don't forget the cruise is like a floating theme park and some people such as myself actually love detuning from the rat race that is my life by chilling, and there's something to do every minute of every day.

      I think it's fair to say it's only as boring as you make it or if your personality type is easily bored.

      • Did u go for 18 days per cruise?

        • No, biggest one was 14 days at this stage but the transpositioning cruise is actually on our bucket list in the next 2 years. Including staying in Hawaii for a week.

          • @Ramrunner: Were you bored with that 14 day trip? Because after my 7th day of 8 day cruise i was dying to go back home.

            • +2

              @mrvaluepack: No - I was not bored once. I understand you have a very different personality type than me.

              I don't know why anyone woud get bored being waited on hand and foot. No rooms to clean, no beds to make, eat whatever you want do whatever you want. Bars and nightlife, a casino if you're into that, spas, shore excursions.

              Again, I love taking time off my extremely busy life. I don't need internet or anything I have at home as much as I need a proper break.

              Up to the individual and their personality. I know you don't really seem to see people doing this but how about 274 nights then?

              https://www.royalcaribbean.com/ultimate-world-cruise/

  • -1

    This is quite a good deal even with concerns in comment…..

    Just wife has no more al or this will be great for a first cruise experience.

    • +5

      18 nights is way too long for a first cruise…. wow

      • +1

        Was with some recently on their first cruise as a 40 day cruise.

        Braver than I would be, but they loved it.

      • +2

        Not long if a new couple

  • -1

    18 Nights Transpacific Cruise/Sydney/Ovation of The Seas - $2400

    Didn't have my glasses. Read transphobic. Was nervous as I clicked on the comments. Thought that's going to be one hell of an unusual cruise. Seemed pretty unnecessary.

    • +2

      Redneck Holidays. Yeehaw.

      However there is:-
      Ashore it’s wine, women, and song; aboard it’s rum, bum, and concertina."
      — British naval saying, c. 1800

    • Unusual as it's a repositioning cruise. Bye bye to the Ovaries of the Seas until next summer.

      I think it's a good deal. Great if you want (and can get) some time-out from the daily routine, and can get a cheapish airfare back.

      Get some sun, pig out, work out (or not), get sloshed, catch up on a book or three or finally read some of those $0 Kindle purchases, plus more.. all for $67 a night.

      • Heck, could even bring the PS5 and make a start on my pile of shame!

  • Do you need visa to enter Hawaii?

    • Yes

    • +9

      they also accept master card

      • -1

        Cash too

      • Worst case is not allowing to go anywhere?

  • If you'd prefer a cruise with more ports, and leaves a week earlier, this is an option: https://www.celebritycruises.com/au/itinerary-details/17-nig…
    $3000 in total in an interior room twin share. More interestingly, oceanview rooms and balcony rooms are the same price as the royal deal (though both are unfortunately guaranteed).
    Not as big as the Celebrity Edge or the Oviation of the seas, and admittedly has less stuff to do, but it's still a good deal if you prefer luxury-ish cruising.

  • Do people often get sick on these cruises?

    • +1

      Most people get Covid on fifth day due to sharing utensils in the buffets

      • Covid's airborne. It's not from the utensils.

    • It would be just the luck of the draw.

    • Motion sickness - yes. Get a room in the middle of the ship and higher than deck 8 and it's manageable with the seasickness medication they provide at guest services.

  • no thanks

  • If someone needs visas to visit those countries, there are a lot of visas to be taken for this trip. Of course, I am not referring to Australian passport holders.

    • Australians, I think, only need an ESTA.

    • Are there? Max 4, I think.

      Australia, New Zealand, French Polynesia and USA.

  • Isn't this the line that was on the news recently for returning with almost everyone down some some food bug?

    Sea sickness + food poisoning on an 18 day long adventure. Truly a trip to remember.

    Lol, nvm, jk.

  • +3

    Used to rate RC cruises highly. Went on Ovation recently in Jan Syd—Hobart-Adelaide and found it overcrowded (5000 people!) with average food at best and the feeling of too many upsells. Wouldn't do it again personally.

    • Indeed, personally nowadays prefer smaller cruise ships.

      • I am getting older too.

  • What a deal, almost cancelled my April vacation if the same price applied for 2 kids too

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