kernow

We are here until Wednesday, we did look into Blue Mountains but thought it was quite a long train journey. Currently at Westfield Parramatta, much more my sort of shopping mall😀. Thanks to those who suggested it.

No you are not more prone, in our opinion just about a year or so behind us with your attitude to covid. We are from the UK currently in Sydney. We flew out nearly 3 weeks ago to do a b2b on Ovation, we've already done 3 cruises from the UK since the restart. The first 2 were with limited capacity and masks and social distancing, the 3rd in May more or less back to normal bit still with a test to board. We didn't catch covid onboard or think there was much of it about but did hear of people with it after disembarkation. In the UK now it's more or less just treated like any other illness, similar to flu and most otherwise healthy people don't make a fuss about it. We did our first cruise on Ovation, it was obvious staff and passengers were going down with it but nothing was ever announced publicly. I'm still doing a live report on the RCL page if you want more detail. On the last sea day of that cruise I tested positive. All b2b had to do a test and we heard of quite a few others who were also positive. We had to leave the ship( they did say they could try for an exception for me as I was an international guest but I would have had to isolate in the cabin for 7 days). I'm fairly sure that if the cruise was in Europe or US there would have been no testing, no positives and we would have all just ignored it. It's not for me to say whether that is right or wrong but that is what is happening in the rest of the world.

We saw that, I would never go up but said to Mark he should! I would not even go to the edge of the walkway to take photos, I stayed close to the road side.

Back to our time in Sydney, yesterday we took the ferry from Circular Quay to Manly. Unfortunately it was a cloudy day and the sun never really broke through. We spent the day walking along the coast and around the town. It's nice that it has beaches on the harbour side and on the coast but I think overall I preferred Bondi, just liked the feel of the place better (and the sunshine 🌞) Today we walked over the bridge from the Rocks to Kirribilli. I don't know how anyone can climb that bridge, even just walking along the path made my knees feel like jelly😁. The Jacaranda trees are all out in Kirribilli and are beautiful.

I don't really like lobster and usually order something else on the menu so it doesn't really matter to me. However as the point of the thread is really about RCL cutbacks (and I agree there are many) I just wanted to say I've realised this week what amazing value a cruise still is. We should currently be on an 11 night Ovation cruise, the second part of a b2b. However I tested positive for covid on the last day of the first cruise and we had to get off in Sydney. I hastily booked a hotel here for 11 nights, a 4 star Rydges room only with a kitchenette so we could do some food ourselves. The hotel cost £1974, this was a mid priced hotel, I could have spent lots more. The total price for the 11 night cruise was £1918 (balcony room including grats), of course including all the food, entertainment etc. We've already spent hundreds on food and that's eating a lot less than we would have on the ship. No entertainment, no lovely cabin steward and wait staff looking out for us. I'll never let anyone tell me that cruising is expensive ever again.

Yes, I understand. We have a business ourselves and have to build it into our costs. We used to be allowed to charge for credit cards but not debit. Banks used to charge us a much higher rate for credit cards, just nominal for debit. Our government changed the law so no costs could be directly passed on, and tried to force banks to charge less. Of course now the banks just lowered the credit rate a bit but upped the debit charge. Banks still make their money, we have to build the rate into our costs but the price you see is the price you pay which is how people like it in the UK😀. I actually prefer to pay in cash, especially on holiday but as we are having a much longer stay in Sydney than we anticipated we are now onto using cards.

We paid in cash, could have used card. I don't know if there is a charge for credit cards but probably is as everywhere in Sydney seems to charge.(big surprise to us as it's illegal to charge in UK). Taxi rank was right outside the door of international terminal, no queue and driver was very pleasant.

Having to pack up everything is not good.Sounds like you should be OK with covid though, not heard of anyone getting it again that soon. That sounds like a really nice trip, enjoy. We'll be thinking of you all in Picton on the wine tour🥂

Thanks for the replies, hope you all stay clear. We noticed the Westfield mall when we went to Bondi on the bus the other day. Think we will try one of those on one of the days. I saw people saying about the mess in Auckland, such a shame as it was only an afternoon stop anyway wasn't it? Cheryle, where are the next two cruises going? Do you know yet if you will have to test? Fingers crossed you will avoid the dreaded covid🤞

We arrived at Sydney Airport on Monday morning just over 2 weeks ago. At 8am taxi to Grace Hotel in CBD was $81. We were in very slow moving traffic so probably much cheaper at other times.

Thanks, we're planning to go to Manly tomorrow. Loving the city, you're very lucky to live here.

We have Westfield's in the UK too with 'normal' stores, thought it was strange that it was so expensive.

Just spent the day around the shops in the centre of Sydney. Huge number of shops and malls but I have a serious question for all the Australians. Where do you buy your everyday clothes? Everything seemed to be what I would call designer shops, all the clothes I looked at that I would wear were 200 dollar plus 😯. For my everyday clothes I shop in places like Next and M&S, could not see any equivalents in Sydney.

I'm not a smoker but I tested positive on Ovation last week. This is part of the letter I was given.

Forgot to say that we've also heard back from our TA and they have put in the claim for a refund from RCL. They have been told it will take up to 30 business days.

Feeling back to normal now, Mark is still negative to seems to have got away with it. Yesterday we went to Taronga Zoo, a fabulous day which I would really recommend. Even travelling there on the ferry was a pleasure. The highlight of my day was seeing the Koalas, almost worth missing NZ for😆.

Two weeks sounds horrible, think I got off lightly. What a lovely view to have from your office.

I know, how unlucky was I? 😁. Not so bad though, there's certainly a lot worse places to be stuck than Sydney. Enjoying your pics of your trip, that looks fun too and somewhere else we'd like to visit one day. x

I think that is probably the better way around, as things currently stand you will probably not have to re test for the second leg but who knows, things might change by then. We (Mark as I was isolating😀) heard of a few people who were asymptomatic but tested positive and had to miss the b2b. Anyway I'm sure none of this will happen to you and you'll have a lovely time.

Is your second cruise going to NZ? I think it was their government that insisted that the b2b passengers were tested.I know earlier in the week they said we wouldn't have to be. It was certainly the NZ authorities who insisted on 7 days quarantine, it's only 5 days for Australia cruises. Hopefully it will have cleared a bit by the time you go, just my opinion but I think the staff were probably passing it around a bit. Feeling back to normal today, currently sitting in the sunshine at Bondi Beach.

Got off Ovation on Saturday, sanitizer and 2 masks in cabin. Ship is sailing in Australia where testing is still required. Lots of covid onboard, staff were back to mask wearing midway through the cruise. We were supposed to have been b2b but I tested positive on the last sea day and we had to leave the ship.

Thanks everyone for all the good wishes. We are now settled in Sydney and I'm already feeling much better. Leaving the ship yesterday was simple, we were collected from the cabin just before 10 by a member of staff. She also collected people from a couple of nearby cabins and took us all down to deck 2 in the forward lifts. We were walked out straight onto the dockside where all the covid peoples luggage was waiting. There looked to be quite a few suitcases. We never had to go through customs or into the terminal building just through a gap in the fencing and straight onto the concorse with arriving passengers. We made our way to the Upper level and into the taxi queue. We had masks on but I did feel bad getting in a taxi. Today we've been out walking around Sydney, through Hyde Park, The Domain and down to Mrs Macquarie's Point then round to the Opera House and Circular Quay and back along George Street. I stayed outside the whole time and a distance from everyone but it was so nice to be in the open air and the city is so beautiful. We've been researching and think we'll go to Manly, Bondi and Taronga Zoo then maybe a bit further afield. I don't think we'll have any problem finding things to do. I'm terrified of heights so won't be the bridge climb for me😲

Can't give you a wave as we are on the other side of the ship facing the bridge.😂. I had a really good night's sleep and don't feel too bad this morning. I'm sure you will be fine, I know I was just unlucky, as soon as we heard about our wait staff we knew there was a fair chance of catching it even though we'd both had our fourth booster jabs about a month before we flew out. We all know the risks, covid is just part of cruising now, we've done 3 since the re start and been fine, it's just disappointing that it had to happen on this one. They've told us to wait in the cabin this morning and all the covid people will be collected and taken off the ship last, sometime after 9. I hope all those coming on this next cruise will let us know how you are getting on, I'd love to hear what I'm missing😁.

Mark went down earlier and showed the Guest Service Manager the policy which someone kindly posted in the other thread. I've now just received a letter stating that they will provide 100% cruise refund😀. Don't know how long it will take but at least it should cover the hotel in Sydney.

Yes, we both had covid back in April. Mark had virtually no symptoms and I felt like I do now for a couple of days and then much better. Fingers crossed it will be the same this time. This cruise is slowly turning into a bit of a disaster, for the last hour or so there has been no water in the cabin, judging by the FB posts it's the same for all cabins right across the ship!